''Layia leucopappa'' is a rare 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 Comanche Point tidytips, or Comanche Point layia.

Distribution

The annual wildflower 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 ...

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 known only from the

Tehachapi Mountains The Tehachapi Mountains (; Kawaiisu: ''Tihachipia'', meaning "hard climb") are a mountain range in the Transverse Ranges system of California in the Western United States. The range extends for approximately in southern Kern County and northwest ...

of southern

Kern County Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield. Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county sp ...

in the vicinity of

Tejon Ranch Tejon Ranch Company (), based in Lebec, California, is one of the largest private landowners in California. The company was incorporated in 1936 to organize the ownership of a large tract of land that was consolidated from four Mexican land gr ...

. Its distribution once extended onto the floor of the Central Valley, but it was eliminated from the area as the valley land was claimed for

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

Description

''Layia leucopappa'' is an annual herb producing a light-colored, glandular stem to a maximum height just over . The leaves are fleshy and hairless except for ciliated edges. Smaller leaves are oval or oblong in shape and the larger ones are lobed and up to about 4 centimeters long. 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 ...

contains white to cream-colored ray florets and yellow disc florets with yellow

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 ...

; fruits from the disc florets are coated in white hairs and have a white pappus.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Layia leucopappa''USDA Plants Profile: ''Layia leucopappa'' (Comanche Point tidytips)''Layia leucopappa'' — U.C. Photos gallery
leucopappa Endemic flora of California ~ Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Natural history of Kern County, California Plants described in 1935 {{Asteroideae-stub