''Microseris nutans'' 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 nodding microseris. It is native to western North America, including southwestern Canada and much of the western United States, including the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

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 grows in many types of habitat.

Description

The plant is variable in appearance. In general, it is a perennial herb growing up to 70 centimeters tall with a branching stem. The plentiful leaves are up to 30 centimeters in length and generally toothed or lobed along the edges. The somewhat hairy

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is borne on an erect or upright peduncle. The often nodding

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 up to 50 yellow ray florets. 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 ...

with a brownish or reddish body a few millimeters long. At the tip of the body is a large pappus made up of 15 to 30 silvery, hairy scales.

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Microseris nutans''USDA Plants Profile: Microseris nutansFlora of North America''Microseris nutans'' - U.C. Photo gallery
nutans Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of California Flora of Western Canada Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Cichorieae-stub