''Carphephorus'' is a genus of North American plants 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 ...

. They are native to the southeastern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

. Plants of this genus are known commonly as chaffheads.''Carpephorus''.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Description

These are

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s that grow from a

caudex A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a Plant stem, stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, " ...

and fibrous root system. The stems are erect and unbranched, usually reaching 20 to 60 centimeters (8-24 inches) in height, and taller at times. The leaves are

alternate Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

ly arranged and point upward, sometimes pressed against the stem. The blades vary in shape and are hairy to hairless and generally

glandular In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland). Structure De ...

. The

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 ...

are borne in open

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 ...

s. Each head contains up to about 35

disc floret 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 we ...

s, usually

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and east ...

to dark

magenta Magenta () is a color that is variously defined as pinkish- purplish- red, reddish-purplish-pink or mauvish- crimson. On color wheels of the RGB (additive) and CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located exactly midway between red and bl ...

or pinkish purple, sometimes blue. The fruit is a ribbed, rough-textured cypsela with a pappus of bristles.

Classification

Some authors separate certain species into separate genera, ''Trilisa'' and ''Litrisa'', on the basis of certain floral characters. The species are similar enough in other aspects that other authors maintain them in ''Carphephorus''. Molecular data may support the separation of at least some of the taxa. ''Carphephorus'' is in the tribe

Eupatorieae Eupatorieae is a tribe of over 2000D.J.N.Hind & H.E.Robinson. 2007. Tribe Eupatorieae In: ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants'' vol.VIII. (Joachim W.Kadereit & Charles Jeffrey, volume editors. Klaus Kubitzky, general editor). Springer-V ...

of the aster family. Like other members of this tribe, the

have

s and no

ray florets 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 we ...

. It is also in the subtribe Liatrinae along with, for example, ''

Liatris ''Liatris'' (), commonly known as gayfeather and blazing star. is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Eupatorieae within the family Asteraceae native to North America (Canada, United States, Mexico and the Bahamas). Some species are used ...

'' and '' Garberia''. ;Species and varietiesFlann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist
/ref> *'' Carphephorus bellidifolius'' – sandywoods chaffhead -

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

*'' Carphephorus carnosus'' (syn. ''Trilisa carnosa'') – pineland chaffhead -

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

*'' Carphephorus corymbosus'' – coastal plain chaffhead -

*''

Carphephorus odoratissimus ''Carphephorus odoratissimus'' (syn. ''Trilisa odoratissima''), common name vanillaleaf, is a species of North American plants in the family Asteraceae. This species is native to the southeastern United States, including the states of Georgia, No ...

'' (syn. ''Trilisa odoratissima'') – vanillaleaf -

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

**''C. odoratissimus'' var. ''odoratissimus'' **''C. odoratissimus'' var. ''subtropicanus'' (sometimes treated as a separate species, ''Carphephorus subtropicanus''). This species or variety is more southern than ''C. odoratissimus'' var. ''odoratissimus'', lacks the characteristic

coumarin Coumarin () or 2''H''-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula . Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by a lactone-like chain , forming a second six-membered ...

odor of the latter, and has a different growth habit, being smaller with more of a rosette form. There is some overlap between the ranges of the two. *''

Carphephorus pseudoliatris ''Carphephorus pseudoliatris'', the bristleleaf chaffhead , is a species of North American plants in the family Asteraceae. They are native to the southeastern United States in the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. ...

'' – bristleleaf chaffhead -

*''

Carphephorus tomentosus ''Carphephorus tomentosus'', the woolly chaffhead, is a species of North American plants in the family Asteraceae. They are native to the southeastern United States in the states of Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. '' ...

'' – woolly chaffhead -

;Formerly included *''

Carphephorus paniculatus ''Carphephorus paniculatus'', commonly known as the hairy chaffhead, is a species of flowering plant native to parts of the southeastern United States. A perennial dicot, it reaches a height of 3 feet. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q15560280 ...

'' (syn of ''

Trilisa paniculata ''Trilisa'' is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Eupatorieae within the family Asteraceae. Some taxonomists group ''Trilisa'' and '' Litrisa'' into the genus ''Carphephorus''. ; Species * '' Trilisa odoratissima'' (J.F.Gmel.) Cass. - Lo ...

'') – hairy chaffhead -

Biochemistry

A number of species contain volatile oils, giving characteristic odors.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5045796 Eupatorieae Asteraceae genera Flora of the Southeastern United States Taxa named by Henri Cassini