Layia hieracioides
Encyclopedia
Layia hieracioides is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family
known by the common name tall tidytips, or tall layia.
It is endemic to California
, where it is known from around the San Francisco Bay Area
to the Transverse Ranges
behind Los Angeles
.
has a rounded to urn-shaped base of green phyllaries
covered in dark glandular hairs. The head contains short yellow ray florets only a few millimeters long around a center of yellow disc florets with purple anthers
. The fruit is an achene
; fruits on the disc florets have a pappus
of bristles.
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 tall tidytips, or tall layia.
It is endemic to California
California
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 known from around the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
to 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...
behind Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Description
Layia hieracioides is an annual herb producing a thick, glandular, strongly scented stem to a maximum height near 1.3 meters, but often remains shorter. The thin leaves are linear to lance-shaped, with the lower ones lobed or toothed and up to nearly 15 centimeters in maximum length. The flower headHead (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
has a rounded to urn-shaped base of green 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...
covered in dark glandular hairs. The head contains short yellow ray florets only a few millimeters long around a center of yellow disc florets with purple 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...
; fruits on the disc florets have 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...
of bristles.