Layia pentachaeta

Layia pentachaeta
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Layia
Species: L. pentachaeta
Binomial name
Layia pentachaeta
A.Gray

Layia pentachaeta is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name Sierra tidytips, or Sierra layia.

Distribution

The wildflower is endemic to California, where it grows in a number of habitats in the central part of the state from the Sierra Nevada (foothills and High Sierra) to the Tehachapi Mountains, the San Joaquin Valley, and the central Inner California Coast Ranges.

Description

Layia pentachaeta is an annual herb growing a thick stem up to a meter (3 ft) tall, but often remaining shorter. The stem is coated in glandular hairs whose exudate gives the plant a sharp lemonlike scent.

The thin leaves are linear to lance-shaped, with the lower leaves lobed and approaching 11 centimeters in maximum length.

The flower head contains white or yellow ray florets and yellow disc florets with yellow anthers. The fruit is an achene; fruits on the disc florets often have a white bristly pappus.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/30/2013. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.