''Chaenactis glabriuscula'', with the common name yellow pincushion, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family. It is native to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

Distribution and habitat

''Chaenactis glabriuscula'' grows in a wide variety of habitats, such as the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

, the Mojave and

Colorado Desert California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert. It encompasses approximately , including the heavily irrigated Coachella and Imperial valleys. It is home to many unique flora and fauna. Geography and geology The Colorado De ...

s, and the interior chaparral and woodlands, coastal sage and chaparral, and the montane chaparral and woodlands

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

s. It is a variable plant, especially across varieties, of which there are many.Calflora taxon report, University of California, Chaenactis glabriuscula DC. common yellow chaenactis, yellow pincushion
/ref> It is generally found below elevation.

Description

In general, ''Chaenactis glabriuscula'' is an annual herb producing one or more mainly erect stems approaching 50 cm (20 inches) in maximum height. The branching stems are hairy and often cobwebby with fibers. The leaves are up to about 10 centimeters (4 inches) long, sometimes fleshy, and usually divided into many very small, curling lobes. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

produces one to twenty or more

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 ...

on a very long, erect peduncle. The

flower head 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 ...

is lined with flat, hairy or woolly

glandular In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland). Structure De ...

phyllaries In botanical terminology, a phyllary, also known an involucral bract or tegule, is a single bract of the involucre of a composite flower. The involucre is the grouping of bracts together. Phyllaries are reduced leaf-like structures that form one or ...

. It contains many tubular flowers in shades of gold to bright yellow, the outermost flowers large and flat-faced, most with protruding

anthers The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

. The fruit is an

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...

which may be over a centimeter long including its layered pappus of scales. ;Varieties * ''Chaenactis glabriuscula'' var. ''glabriuscula'' - from Tehama Co to

* ''Chaenactis glabriuscula'' var. ''heterocarpha'' (Torr. & A.Gray ex A.Gray) H.M.Hall - from Shasta Co to Ventura Co plus a few in Modoc Co + San Bernardino Co * ''Chaenactis glabriuscula'' var. ''lanosa'' (DC.) H.M.Hall - from Fresno Co to San Diego Co * ''Chaenactis glabriuscula'' var. ''megacephala'' A.Gray - from Shasta Co to Orange Co * ''Chaenactis glabriuscula'' var. ''orcuttiana'' (Greene) H.M.Hall - coast from Ventura Co to

One variety, ''Chaenactis glabriuscula'' var. ''orcuttiana'' — Orcutt's yellow pincushion, is a rare variety limited to the beaches and

coastal dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

and Baja, where it is threatened by development of its

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

.California Native Plant Society
/ref> Urban locations on the

Santa Monica Bay Santa Monica Bay is a bight (geography), bight of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, United States. Its boundaries are slightly ambiguous, but it is generally considered to be the part of the Pacific within an imaginary line drawn betwe ...

, in the northern Ballona Wetlands near

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

and on the Bell Avenue Sand Dune Park recreation area's dune (''~185 plants'') in Manhattan Beach, each had var. ''orcuttiana'' populations newly discovered in Spring 2010. The variety is listed by the California Native Plant Society as

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to California

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

s and significantly declining, with confirmed populations in parts of Ventura, Los Angeles and San Diego counties.access date:05/17/2010

References

External links