''Microseris heterocarpa'', known by the common name grassland silverpuffs, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Asteraceae 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 ...

Distribution

It is native to southwestern North America, where it can be found in various areas of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, and parts of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

and northern Mexico. It grows in open habitat in

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterrane ...

, woodlands, grasslands, desert, Sierra foothill, and inland canyons. This species is also found on

Guadalupe Island Guadalupe Island ( es, Isla Guadalupe, link=no) is a volcanic island located off the western coast of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula and about southwest of the city of Ensenada in the state of Baja California, in the Pacific Ocean. The ...

, a Mexican island in the Pacific Ocean.

Description

''Microseris heterocarpa'' is variable in morphology. In general, it is an annual herb with a basal rosette of large leaves. 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 ...

arises on a tall

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 ...

bearing a solitary

flower head 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 ...

. The head is lined in hairless

phyllaries In botanical terminology, a phyllary, also known an involucral bract or tegule, is a single bract of the involucre of a composite flower. The involucre is the grouping of bracts together. Phyllaries are reduced leaf-like structures that form one ...

and contains many ray florets, often over 100, in shades of yellow or white. 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 op ...

with a brown, gray, blue, or purple body tipped with a pappus of five long, spreading scales, the whole unit measuring 1 or 2 centimeters. This species is suspected to be a

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

between '' Microseris douglasii'' and ''

Uropappus lindleyi ''Uropappus,'' commonly called silverpuffs, is a genus of North American plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. Some authors accept only one species, ''U. lindleyi'', and separate '' Stebbinsoseris''. ; Species * ''Uropapp ...

'' which may have evolved independently, possibly three times.Flora of North America
/ref> The plant comes in a wide variety of appearances with variations in florescence properties and size, as well as height, ranging on a scale between both of the suspected parent taxa.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Stebbinsoseris heterocarpa''USDA Plants Profile''Stebbinsoseris heterocarpa'' - Photo gallery
Cichorieae Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of Arizona Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora of Mexican Pacific Islands Flora of California Flora of the California desert regions Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{cichorieae-stub