Nothocalais troximoides
Encyclopedia
Nothocalais troximoides is a species of flowering plant in the aster family
known by the common name sagebrush false dandelion. It is native to western North America, including British Columbia
and the northwestern United States, where it grows in sagebrush
and other plateau and mountain habitat types. It is a perennial herb growing from a thick caudex
and producing a woolly stem up to about 25 centiemeters tall. The leaves are located around the base of the stem and often have crinkled wavy edges, and sometimes a thin coat of small hairs. They measure up to 30 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is a flower head
lined with green, sometimes purple-speckled, phyllaries
and containing many yellow ray florets and no disc florets. The fruit is a cylindrical achene
up to 1.3 centimeters long not including the large pappus
of up to 30 silvery white bristles which may be an additional two centimeters in length.
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 sagebrush false dandelion. It is native to western North America, including British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and the northwestern United States, where it grows in sagebrush
Sagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
and other plateau and mountain habitat types. It is a perennial herb growing from a thick caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
and producing a woolly stem up to about 25 centiemeters tall. The leaves are located around the base of the stem and often have crinkled wavy edges, and sometimes a thin coat of small hairs. They measure up to 30 centimeters long. 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...
is a flower head
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
lined with green, sometimes purple-speckled, 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 containing many yellow ray florets and no disc florets. The fruit is a cylindrical achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
up to 1.3 centimeters long not including the large 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 up to 30 silvery white bristles which may be an additional two centimeters in length.