''Microseris acuminata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

known by the common name Sierra foothill silverpuffs. It is native to the Central Valley of California and the mountain ranges, including the

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 primari ...

, surrounding it. There is a disjunct occurrence in Jackson County, Oregon.Flora of North America
/ref> The plant grows in grassy habitat, woodlands, and sometimes the edges of vernal pools.

Description

It is an annual herb growing 5 to 35 centimeters tall from a basal rosette of erect leaves; there is no true stem. Each leaf is up to 20 centimeters long and has edges lined in comblike narrow lobes. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is borne on an erect, curving, or drooping peduncle. The flower head contains up to 50 flat ray florets. The distinctive fruit is an

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple fruit, simple dry fruits, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and Dehi ...

with a brown, hairless body about half a centimeter long. At the tip of the body is a large pappus made up of five long, jointed scales each up to a centimeter in length and lined with bristles and hairs.

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Microseris acuminata'' (Sierra foothill silverpuffs, Needle microseriss)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Microseris acuminata''USDA Plants ProfileUC Photos gallery — ''Microseris acuminata''
acuminata Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Taxa named by Edward Lee Greene Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Cichorieae-stub