Antennaria pulchella
Encyclopedia
Antennaria pulchella is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family
known by the common names Sierra pussytoes and beautiful pussytoes. It is native to the high mountains of eastern California
and western Nevada
, especially the Sierra Nevada, where it is a plant of the alpine climate
.
s. The erect inflorescence
reaches no more than about 12 centimeters tall. The species is dioecious
, with male and female plants producing flower heads
of slightly different morphologies. The fruit is an achene
up to half a centimeter long, most of which is a long, soft pappus
.
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 names Sierra pussytoes and beautiful pussytoes. It is native to the high mountains of eastern 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...
and western Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, especially the Sierra Nevada, where it is a plant of the alpine climate
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
.
Description
Antennaria pulchella is a small, mat-forming perennial herb growing a patch of woolly grayish leaves dotted with purplish glands. It spreads via a tangled network of stolonStolon
In biology, stolons are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external skeletons.-In botany:...
s. The erect 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...
reaches no more than about 12 centimeters tall. The species is dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, with male and female plants producing flower heads
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
of slightly different morphologies. 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...
up to half a centimeter long, most of which is a long, soft 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...
.