''Urospermum picroides'' is a species of flowering plant in the family
Asteraceae known by the common name prickly goldenfleece. It is native to Eurasia and it is known as an
introduced species in many other regions, including North and South America, Australia, and southern Africa. It grows as a common
weed in disturbed habitat. This annual herb grows up to 30 to 50 centimeters tall. It is coated in long hairs and bristles. The bristly leaves are variously shaped, often divided into many sharp-toothed lobes. The
inflorescence bears
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 ...
on thick
peduncles. The head is 1 to 2 centimeters long or more and filled with yellow ray florets. It is enveloped in several pointed
phyllaries which are covered in bristly hairs. 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 ...
well over a centimeter in length which is tipped with a
pappus of bristles.
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileFlora of North AmericaNew South Wales FloraPhoto gallery
Cichorieae
Flora of Europe
Flora of Western Asia
Flora of Lebanon
{{Cichorieae-stub