''Hesperevax caulescens'' is a small flowering plant 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 ...

. One common name for the plant is hogwallow starfish, as it is a somewhat flat, star-shaped plant which grows in mud. Another common name is dwarf dwarf-cudweed, as the three members of genus ''Hesperevax'' are known as dwarf-cudweeds and this species is smaller than the others. It may also be called involucrate evax, since its former Latin name was ''Evax involucrata''. This annual plant is a member of the

vernal pool Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe ...

plant community in

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 ...

, where it is possibly an

endemic species 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 ...

, although its range might extend into

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 ...

. The hogwallow starfish radiates pale green spoon-shaped leaves in a basal rosette and extends a short erect stem. The flowers are less than two millimeters wide. This species grows along the outskirts of vernal pools in areas which have dried.

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Hesperevax caulescens'' (Hogwallow starfish)Jepson eFlora (TJM2) TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5745831 Gnaphalieae Endemic flora of California Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Taxa named by George Bentham Taxa named by Asa Gray Flora without expected TNC conservation status

References

Further reading

External links