''Microseris'' is a genus of plants in the tribe Cichorieae within 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 ...

, plants that often called composites. They are native to

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, and

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. Plants in the genus can either be annuals or perennials. Perennial plants in ''Microseris'' usually have a

taproot A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproot ...

or a caudex with the exception of ''Microseris borealis'', which is rhizomatous. The leaves are mostly or entirely basal, growing very near the surface of the soil rather than being held on stems above ground level. When blooming the flowers are alone on the top of stems and are held upright when blooming and when producing seeds. The flowers are shades of orange or yellow with a superficial resemblance to dandelions. There is currently disagreement about which species should be placed in ''Microseris''.

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

(POWO) synonymizes genus '' Nothocalais'' into ''Microseris''. While the USDA

Natural Resources Conservation Service Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners and ...

PLANTS database (PLANTS),

World Flora Online World Flora Online is an Internet-based compendium of the world's plant species. Description The World Flora Online (WFO) is an open-access database, launched in October 2012 as a follow-up project to The Plant List, with the aim of publishi ...

(WFO), the Global Compositae Database (GCD), and

Flora of North America The ''Flora of North America North of Mexico'' (usually referred to as ''FNA'') is a multivolume work describing the native plants and naturalized plants of North America, including the United States, Canada, St. Pierre and Miquelon, and Greenla ...

(FNA) continue to list ''Nothocalais'' as a separate genus as of 2023. The only species classified by WFO in ''Nothocalais'' is ''Microseris nigrescens'' as ''Nothocalais nigrescens'', which is also the classification in PLANTS and FNA. The other species classified by PLANTS and FNA as ''Nothocalais'' are ''Microseris alpestris'' ('' N. alpestris''), ''Microseris cuspidata'' ('' N. cuspidata''), and ''Microseris troximoides'' ('' N. troximoides''). According to POWO ''Microseris'' contains the following 22 species:

References

External links

*
Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Microseris''
{{Authority control Asteraceae genera