''Chaenactis fremontii'', with the common names Frémont's pincushion and desert pincushion, is a species of annual wildflower in the

daisy family 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 ...

. Both the latter common name, and the

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

are chosen in honor of

John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from California and was the first Republican nominee for president of the United States in 1856 ...

Distribution and habitat

''Chaenactis fremontii'' is native to the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

and northern Baja California. It grows in sandy and gravelly soils in the deserts and low mountains, such as the Mojave Desert in California and the Sonoran Desert habitats. It is found in California, Baja California, Arizona, Nevada, and southern Utah. Chaenactis_fremontii_7732

Description

''Chaenactis fremontii'' grows in patches of long stems up to long that are green when new and grow reddish with age. They may branch to extend many tall, almost naked stems. The sparse leaves are somewhat fleshy and long and pointed. Atop each erect stem is an inflorescence bearing usually one but sometimes 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 ...

, each with plentiful densely packed disc florets. There may be very large ray florets around the edge of the discoid head. The flowers are white or very light pink.Flora of North America, Fremont or desert pincushion, pincushion flower, ''Chaenactis fremontii'' A. Gray
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References

External links

*
Calflora Database: ''Chaenactis fremontii'' (Fremont pincushion)
* fremontii Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of California Flora of Baja California Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Mojave Desert Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Plants described in 1883 Taxa named by Asa Gray Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Asteroideae-stub