''Nestotus stenophyllus'' 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 narrowleaf mock goldenweed. It was previously known as ''Stenotus stenophyllus''. It is native to the western United States, especially the inland
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...
and northern
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...
, where it grows in
sagebrush
Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus ''Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub ''Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west.
Following is an alph ...
habitat usually in rocky soil.
Description
''Nestotus stenophyllus'' is a small, clump-forming perennial sub-shrub growing up to about 12 centimeters tall. Mature plants have a very low woody sprawling base from which the growing stems arise. The woody base is often largely hidden by leaves, so the plant may appear to be herbaceous without close inspection. The rough-haired, glandular leaves are 1 or 2 centimeters long and linear to lance-shaped and are arranged along upright to angled stems up to 6 centimeters long, growing from short woody bases. The
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 a solitary
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 ...
atop an erect
peduncle that emerges from the tip of the leaf stem. The flower has a glandular bract and several yellow disc florets each around a centimeter long and at the center many yellow disc florets. The floral bract often appears to have a fringe of long hairs near the top of each lobe, which is actually attached to the base of the florets and will form part of the seed pappus. It flowers in early spring. The fruit is a silky-haired
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 ...
tipped with a white
pappus.
Habitat
''Nestotus stenophyllus'' grows mostly in dry rocky soils and is common in the shallow rocky soil of the scablands on the Columbia Plateau.
Gallery
Image: Nestotus stenophyllus IMG 3197.jpg, Flower
Image: Nestotus stenophyllus IMG 3294.jpg, Leaves
Image: Nestotus stenophyllus iNat-162003499.jpg, Floral bract
References
External links
*
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileFlora of North AmericaWashington Burke MuseumPhoto gallery
Astereae
Flora of the Western United States
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Astereae-stub