''Palafoxia arida'' var. ''gigantea''

Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Palafoxia
Species: P. arida
Variety: P. a. var. gigantea
Trinomial name
Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
(M.E.Jones) B.L.Turner & M.I.Morris

Palafoxia arida var. gigantea, with the common name Spanish needles, is a species of flowering plant from the sunflower family (Asteraceae). [1]

Distribution

It is found in the western and northwestern Sonoran Desert of Arizona and its Colorado Desert subregion of southeastern California, [1] and in northwestern Mexico in Sonora and Baja California states. [2]

It is most commonly found in sand dunes, and sometimes in riverine areas, including along the Colorado River, Gila River, and irrigation canals in Imperial County, California.

It is a California Native Plant Society listed Vulnerable species in California. [3]

Description

Palafoxia arida var. gigantea is an erect, slender stem grows 30–60 cm tall, branching in the lower half and is sparsely leaved. [2] It is glandular and hairy on the upper parts. [2]

It has 2-5 inch slender leaves. [4] [5]

In the Yuma region of the Lower Colorado River Valley, in semi-shaded sites with annual but sparse rainfall, single plants can grow to be bushy and produce around 100 flowers.

The wind-borne seeds are dandelion-like, but larger and in a smaller quantity per flower. The plant with seed is easily identified since the seeds splay out in a flat circle until broken from the plant by strong wind. The seed is macroscopic in size, with about 10-16 seeds per circular flower-splay, each seed up to 0.6 in before the parachute.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 USDA: Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
  2. 1 2 3 Jepson eFlora: Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
  3. ↑ California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (online edition, v8-02): Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
  4. ↑ Desertusa.com: High Res. photo of Palafoxia arida var. gigantea flower
  5. ↑ Desertusa.com: Wildflower Field Guide — "Purple and Blue Blooms"


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