Chaenactis xantiana
| Chaenactis xantiana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Tribe: | Heliantheae |
| Genus: | Chaenactis |
| Species: | C. xantiana |
| Binomial name | |
| Chaenactis xantiana A.Gray | |
Chaenactis xantiana, the Mojave pincushion or Xantu's pincushion, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the western United States, from southeastern Oregon, Nevada, southern California and western Arizona. It is very common in the Antelope Valley in the Mojave Desert, and grows in sandy soils.
Description
Chaenactis xantiana is an annual plant growing to 50 cm tall. The leaves are somewhat succulent, 3-7 cm long and 3-4 mm broad, in a basal rosette on the young plants which wither away during flowering, and spirally arranged leaves on the flowering stem; they are green, finely flecked with white scales giving an overall grayish color to the plant.
The Mojave pincushion flowers are produced in a capitulum 3-6 cm diameter, and are white in color.
It is similar to Chaenactis stevioides (Esteve pincushion).
References
- Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Jon Mark Stewart, 1998, pg. 45
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chaenactis xantiana. |