''Microseris campestris'' is a species of flowering plant in the family
Asteraceae known by the common name San Joaquin silverpuffs. It is
endemic to
California, where it grows in the
San Joaquin Valley and adjacent
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 ...
foothills, and the central
California Coast Ranges. It is a resident of grassland and open slope
habitats, sometimes near
vernal pools.
Description
''Microseris campestris'' is an annual herb growing up to half a meter-1.5 feet tall from a basal rosette of erect leaves; there is no true stem. Each leaf is up to 20 centimeters long and has edges divided into many lobes.
The
inflorescence is borne on a
peduncle Peduncle may refer to:
*Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed
*Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body
**Peduncle (art ...
arising from ground level. The
flower head contains up to 100 white or yellow ray florets. 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 ...
with a gray or brown, sometimes speckled body a few millimeters long. At the tip of the body is a large
pappus made up of five long, bristly scales.
External links
Calflora Database: ''Microseris campestris'' (San Joaquin microseris, San Joaquin silverpuffs)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Microseris campestris''USDA Plants Profile for ''Microseris campestris'' (San Joaquin silverpuffs)Flora of North AmericaUC Photos gallery — ''Microseris campestris''
campestris
Endemic flora of California
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Natural history of the Central Valley (California)
Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
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Taxa named by Edward Lee Greene
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Cichorieae-stub