''Chaenactis xantiana'', the Mojave pincushion or Xantus pincushion, is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

, native to the western

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, from southeastern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, southern and eastern

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 northwestern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. It is very common in the

Antelope Valley The Antelope Valley is located in northern Los Angeles County, California, and the southeast portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert. It is situated between the Tehachapi, Sierra Pelona, and the ...

in the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

, and grows in sandy soils.Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Jon Mark Stewart, 1998, pg. 45Calflora taxon report, University of California, ''Chaenactis xantiana'' A. Gray, Xantus Pincushion, Xantus' chaenactis, fleshcolor pincushion
/ref>

Description

''Chaenactis xantiana'' is an

annual plant An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical ...

growing to 50 cm tall. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are somewhat

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

, 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.Gray, Asa 1865. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 6: 545
/ref> The Mojave pincushion

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are produced in a

capitulum capitulum (plural capitula) may refer to: *the Latin word for chapter ** an index or list of chapters at the head of a gospel manuscript ** a short reading in the Liturgy of the Hours *** derived from which, it is the Latin for the assembly known ...

3–6 cm diameter, and are white.Flora of North America, Fleshy pincushion, fleshcolor pincushion, Xantus pincushion, ''Chaenactis xantiana'' A. Gray
/ref> It is similar to '' Chaenactis stevioides'' (Esteve pincushion). The species is named for Hungarian-American ichthyologis
John Xantus
(1825-1894).

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Chaenactis xantiana'' (Fleshcolor pincushion, Xantus pincushion, Xantus' chaenactis)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Chaenactis xantiana''USDA Plants Profile for ''Chaenactis xantiana'' (fleshcolor pincushion)
* ttp://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/img_query?rel-taxon=begins+with&where-taxon=Chaenactis+xantiana U.C. Photos gallery of ''Chaenactis xantiana''* xantiana Flora of California Flora of Arizona Flora of Nevada Flora of Oregon Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) North American desert flora Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Great Basin Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Mojave Desert Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Plants described in 1865 Taxa named by Asa Gray Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Asteroideae-stub