''Nothocalais troximoides'' 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 sagebrush false dandelion. It is native to western North America, including
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
and the northwestern United States.
[Hitchcock, C.L. and Cronquist, A. 2018. Flora of the Pacific Northwest, 2nd Edition, p. 599. University of Washington Press, Seattle.]
Description
''Nothocalais troximoides'' is a perennial herb growing from a thick
caudex
A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695
In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is m ...
and producing a woolly stem up to about tall. The leaves are located around the base of the stem and often have crinkled wavy edges, and sometimes a thin coat of small hairs. They measure up to long. 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
flower head lined with green, sometimes purple-speckled,
phyllaries and containing many yellow ray florets and no disc florets. The fruit is a cylindrical
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 ...
up to long not including the large
pappus of up to 30 silvery white bristles which may be an additional in length.
Range and Habitat
''Nothocalais troximoides'' is native to
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
and the northwestern United States in Washington, Oregon, northern California, Idaho, and Montana. It grows in
sagebrush and other plateau and mountain habitat types.
Gallery
Image: Nothocalais troximoides 1.jpg, Showing flower and undulating leaf margins
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants Profile*
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7062928
troximoides