Chaenactis santolinoides
Encyclopedia
Chaenactis santolinoides is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family
known by the common name Santolina pincushion.
The inflorescence
produces one to three flower heads
extended on a tall, erect peduncle
. The flower head is lined with hairy, glandular phyllaries
and contains many white or pink flowers with protruding anthers
. The fruit is an achene
with a pappus
.
, where it is found in the Transverse Ranges
and southern Sierra Nevada, in open, exposed high mountain habitat such as scree
and rocky slopes.
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
known by the common name Santolina pincushion.
Description
Chaenactis santolinoides is is a clumpy or mat-forming perennial herb growing up to about 25 centimeters in maximum height. The stems are erect and coated in white woolly hairs which thin with age. The leaves are several centimeters long and arranged in a crowded basal rosette. Each leaf is made up of many tiny lobes which are reduced so as to form a solid mass, making the leaf somewhat cylindrical.The inflorescence
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. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
produces one to three flower heads
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
extended on a tall, erect peduncle
Peduncle (botany)
In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.The peduncle is a stem, usually green and without leaves, though sometimes colored or supporting small leaves...
. The flower head is lined with hairy, glandular phyllaries
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
and contains many white or pink flowers with protruding anthers
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
. The fruit is an achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
with a pappus
Pappus (flower structure)
The pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual disk, ray or ligule floret surrounding the base of the corolla, in flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae. The pappus may be composed of bristles , awns, scales, or may be absent. In some species, the pappus is too small to see...
.
Distribution
It is endemic to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it is found in the Transverse Ranges
Transverse Ranges
The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region that runs along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie between...
and southern Sierra Nevada, in open, exposed high mountain habitat such as scree
Scree
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...
and rocky slopes.