Chaenactis alpigena
Encyclopedia
Chaenactis alpigena is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family
known by the common name southern Sierra pincushion. It is native to the High Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains
of California
, extending in the latter just into Nevada
.
The plant is cultivated in rock garden
s as well. It grows in sandy and gravelly soil in various alpine
and subalpine
mountain habitat.
This is a petite plant growing no more than a few centimeters tall with numerous stems which may be erect to prostrate, forming mats or clumps. It is generally gray to yellowish in color and densely woolly. Green, nearly hairless specimens have been noted. The leaves occur in a basal rosette, each thick but not fleshy, and scoop-shaped with a few lobes along the edges. The leaves are variable in morphology, especially in northern individuals versus southern. There is generally one flower head
per stem. It is between about 1 and 2 centimeters long, somewhat cylindrical, hairy but not glandular, and lined with long, flat, blunt-pointed phyllaries
. The head contains many white to pink-tinted flowers with large, protruding, darker colored anthers
. The fruit is an achene
over a centimeter long including its 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 name southern Sierra pincushion. It is native to the High Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains
White Mountains (California)
The White Mountains of California are a triangular fault block mountain range facing the Sierra Nevada across the upper Owens Valley. They extend for approximately as a greatly elevated plateau about wide on the south, narrowing to a point at the north, with elevations generally increasing...
of 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...
, extending in the latter just into 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...
.
The plant is cultivated in rock garden
Rock Garden
The Rock Garden or Rock Garden of Chandigarh is a Sculpture garden in Chandigarh, India, also known as Nek Chand's Rock Garden after its founder Nek Chand, a government official who started the garden secretly in his spare time in 1957. Today it is spread over an area of forty-acres , it is...
s as well. It grows in sandy and gravelly soil in various alpine
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....
and subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
mountain habitat.
This is a petite plant growing no more than a few centimeters tall with numerous stems which may be erect to prostrate, forming mats or clumps. It is generally gray to yellowish in color and densely woolly. Green, nearly hairless specimens have been noted. The leaves occur in a basal rosette, each thick but not fleshy, and scoop-shaped with a few lobes along the edges. The leaves are variable in morphology, especially in northern individuals versus southern. There is generally one flower head
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
per stem. It is between about 1 and 2 centimeters long, somewhat cylindrical, hairy but not glandular, and lined with long, flat, blunt-pointed 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...
. The head contains many white to pink-tinted flowers with large, protruding, darker colored 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...
over a centimeter long including its 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...
.