.gif)
Malacothrix (plant)
Encyclopedia
Malacothrix is a genus of flowering plants related to daisies
. They are known generally as desert dandelions or desertdandelions. Most are found in North America and a few have been introduced to South America. They have daisy-like or somewhat bell-shaped flowers, usually in shades of yellow.
Malacothrix as defined here (containing about 22 species) does not seem to be monophyletic. Some of its species are related to Atrichoseris
, whereas a second group is more closely related to Anisocoma and Calycoseris
.
Selected species:
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...
. They are known generally as desert dandelions or desertdandelions. Most are found in North America and a few have been introduced to South America. They have daisy-like or somewhat bell-shaped flowers, usually in shades of yellow.
Malacothrix as defined here (containing about 22 species) does not seem to be monophyletic. Some of its species are related to Atrichoseris
Atrichoseris
Atrichoseris is a monotypic genus containing the single species Atrichoseris platyphylla, which is known by the common names tobacco weed, parachute plant, and gravel ghost. This plant, a member of the daisy family, is native to the desert southwest of the United States...
, whereas a second group is more closely related to Anisocoma and Calycoseris
Calycoseris
Calycoseris is a small genus of two species of annual desert wildflowers in the daisy family. They are native to western North America in the southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico. They are characterized by the tack-shaped gland hairs on their upper stems and bracts, the trait which...
.
Selected species:
- Malacothrix californicaMalacothrix californicaMalacothrix californica is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name California desertdandelion. It is native to California and Baja California, where it can be found in many types of dry mountain, desert, and valley habitat. It is an annual herb producing a...
- California desertdandelion - Malacothrix clevelandiiMalacothrix clevelandiiMalacothrix clevelandii is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Cleveland's desertdandelion. It is native to parts of the southwestern United States and Baja California, where it can be found most often in chaparral, including cleared and disturbed areas such as...
- Cleveland's desertdandelion - Malacothrix coulteriMalacothrix coulteriMalacothrix coulteri is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name snake's head, or snake's head desertdandelion. It is native to the southwestern United States is also found in southern South America where it is an introduced species. Its native habitat includes...
- snake's head - Malacothrix fendleri - Fendler's desertdandelion
- Malacothrix flocciferaMalacothrix flocciferaMalacothrix floccifera is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name woolly desertdandelion. It is native to many of the northern and central mountain ranges of California, including the Sierra Nevada, where its distribution extends into Nevada. Its habitat includes...
- woolly desertdandelion - Malacothrix foliosa - leafy desertdandelion
- Malacothrix glabrataMalacothrix glabrataMalacothrix glabrata is a species of dicotyledonous flowering plant known generally as the smooth desert dandelion or desert dandelion. The species is native to the western United States, excluding much of the Pacific Northwest, and into northern Mexico.M. glabrata is typically 5 to 15 inches tall...
- smooth desertdandelion - Malacothrix incanaMalacothrix incanaMalacothrix incana is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name dunedelion. It is endemic to California, where it grows only in sand dunes on the beaches of the Channel Islands and isolated spots along the mainland coastline in San Luis Obispo and Santa...
- dunedelion - Malacothrix indecoraMalacothrix indecoraMalacothrix indecora is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Santa Cruz Island desertdandelion. It is endemic to the Channel Islands of California, where it is known from only a few populations on three of the eight islands...
- Santa Cruz Island desertdandelion - Malacothrix insularis - island desertdandelion
- Malacothrix junakiiMalacothrix junakiiMalacothrix junakii is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names Anacapa Island desert-dandelion and Junak's malacothrix. It is endemic to Anacapa Island, one of the Channel Islands of California, where it is known from just two occurrences. It occurs in the...
- Junak's desertdandelion - Malacothrix phaeocarpa - Davis' desertdandelion
- Malacothrix polycephala - manyhead desertdandelion
- Malacothrix saxatilisMalacothrix saxatilisMalacothrix saxatilis is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name cliff desertdandelion. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the central and southern coastal hills and mountain ranges. It is a perennial herb growing 30 to 60 centimeters tall from a...
- cliff desertdandelion - Malacothrix similis - twin desertdandelion
- Malacothrix sonchoidesMalacothrix sonchoidesMalacothrix sonchoides is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name sowthistle desertdandelion. It is native to much of the western United States, where it grows in sandy woodland and plateau habitat and along the edges of the deserts. It is an annual herb producing...
- sowthistle desertdandelion - Malacothrix sonorae - Sonoran desertdandelion
- Malacothrix squalidaMalacothrix squalidaMalacothrix squalida is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Santa Cruz desertdandelion. It is endemic to Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands, two of the eight Channel Islands of California, where it grows on rocky seaside bluffs and cliffs...
- Santa Cruz desertdandelion - Malacothrix stebbinsiiMalacothrix stebbinsiiMalacothrix stebbinsii is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Stebbins' desertdandelion. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico where it grows in deserts, scrub, and woodlands. It is an annual herb producing a hairless stem up to...
- Stebbins' desertdandelion - Malacothrix torreyi - Torrey's desertdandelion