''Boltonia diffusa'', the smallhead doll's daisy, is a
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
n
species of plants in the family
Asteraceae. It is native to the United States, primarily the states along the
Gulf of Mexico from
Texas to
Florida plus the lower
Mississippi Valley from
Louisiana to
Illinois. There additional populations in the eastern United States as far north as
Virginia.
Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
/ref>
''Boltonia diffusa'' is a small perennial rarely more than 20 cm (8 inches) high. It spreads by stolons (horizontal stems running along the surface of the ground). It has many daisy-like flower heads
A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...
with white or lavender ray florets and yellow disc florets.[Flora of North America, White doll’s-daisy, asterlike boltonia, ''Boltonia asteroides'' (Linnaeus) L’Héritier]
/ref>
;Varieties[
* ''Boltonia diffusa'' var. ''diffusa'' - coastal regions and Mississippi Valley
* ''Boltonia diffusa'' var. ''interior'' Fernald & Griscom - Mississippi Valley
]
References
External links
Illinois Natural History SurveySoutheastern Flora
Astereae
Flora of the United States
Plants described in 1823
Garden plants
{{Astereae-stub