''Hulsea brevifolia'' is a species of 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 ...
known by the common name shortleaf alpinegold, or shortleaf hulsea. It is
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
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 an uncommon resident of the
High Sierra. It is found between in elevation.
Calflora taxon report, University of California: ''Hulsea brevifolia''
. accessed 2.2.2013
Description
''Hulsea brevifolia'' is a perennial herb producing loose tufts of erect stems 30 to 60 centimeters (1–2 feet) tall. The green stems and foliage are covered in glandular hairs. The faintly toothed leaves occur basally and also along the stems. They are 5 to 6 millimeters (0.20-0.24 inches) long and have petioles with stiff hairs along the edges.[
The daisylike ]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 ...
are up to 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) wide and have long, hairy, lance-shaped green 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 ...
. The center of the head is filled thickly with long yellow disc florets and the circumference is lined with 10–23 yellow ray florets.[Flora of North America, ''Hulsea brevifolia'' A. Gray, 1867. Shortleaf alpinegold ]
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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 ...
6 to 8 centimeters (2.4-3.2 inches) long bearing a pappus which may be red-tinged.[
]
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment, University of California — ''Hulsea brevifolia''United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile''Hulsea brevifolia'' — Calphotos Photo gallery, University of CaliforniaPhoto of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in 1866
brevifolia
Endemic flora of California
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Plants described in 1868
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Asteroideae-stub