''Orochaenactis'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the
daisy family
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 ...
containing the single species ''Orochaenactis thysanocarpha'', which is known by the common name California mountain pincushion. It 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 ...
to the southern
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 ...
of
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 the forests and meadows of the high mountains.
Description
''Orochaenactis thysanocarpha'' is an annual herb producing a slender, often branching stem up to about 25 centimeters tall. It is coated thinly to densely in hairs, often glandular. The narrow leaves are generally linear in shape and up to 4 centimeters 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 small
flower head lined with purple
phyllaries nested in a cluster of leaflike bracts. The head contains several yellow disc florets. The fruit is a 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 ...
tipped with a
pappus of fringelike scales, the fruit around half a centimeter long in total.
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Orochaenactis thysanocarpha''USDA Plants Profile: ''Orochaenactis thysanocarpha''Flora of North America: ''Orochaenactis''''Orochaenactis thysanocarpha'' - Photo gallery
Monotypic Asteraceae genera
Endemic flora of California
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Chaenactideae
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Asteroideae-stub