''Munzothamnus'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family
Asteraceae containing the single species ''Munzothamnus blairii'', which is known by the common name Blair's wirelettuce, or Blair's munzothamnus. It is
endemic to
San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island (Tongva: ''Kinkipar''; Spanish: ''Isla de San Clemente'') is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. It is administered b ...
, one of the
Channel Islands of California. It grows along steep, rocky cliffsides and canyons on the island. It is a
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
producing a fleshy, woolly stem usually over a meter in height, often approaching two meters. Leaves occur in tufts at the ends of the stem branches. They are up to 15 centimeters long, oblong in shape, and sometimes very shallowly lobed. They are woolly when new but lose their hairs and become shiny green with age. The
inflorescence is a large array of up to 35
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 head has a cylindrical base under a centimetre long and contains 9 to 12 light lavender or pinkish flowers. Each flower is a ray floret with an erect tube and a strap-shaped ligule with a toothed tip. The ligule is just under a centimetre long. The fruit is a cylindrical, ribbed
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 white
pappus.
Like many Channel Islands endemics, this plant was reduced to rarity by the presence of
feral goats on the islands; the goats have been removed.
[The Nature Conservancy]
/ref>
The Latin name of ''Munzothamnus'' refers to the American botanist Philip A. Munz
Philip Alexander Munz (1892–1974) was an American botanist, plant taxonomist and educator who worked at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and was a professor of botany at Pomona College, serving as dean there for three years.
In 1935 Munz publ ...
.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileFlora of North America: ''M. blairii''California Native Plant Society Rare Plant ProfilePhoto gallery
Cichorieae
Monotypic Asteraceae genera
Endemic flora of California
{{Cichorieae-stub