Palafoxia
Encyclopedia
Palafoxia is a genus of flowering plant
s from the sunflower family (Asteraceae
),
This genus is named after José de Palafox y Melzi, Duke of Saragossa
(1776–1847), a Spanish captain-general, in the war against the invading armies of Napoleon.
These are drought-tolerant, annual herb
s growing on sandy plains, dunes, deserts (Mojave desert
, Sonoran desert
) and rangeland, native to North America and Mexico. P. callosa is naturalised
in Hawaii.
The erect, slender stem
grows 30–60 cm tall, branching in the lower half and is sparsely leaved. It is glandular and hairy on the upper parts.
The glabrous, glandular leaves
are lanceolate, 3–20 mm wide and 4–7.5 cm long, and are arranged alternately.
A few flower
heads appear at the end of the upper branches. The reddish to pink ray florets have three narrow lobes. They are subtended by involucral bract
s.
The seed-like fruit
is narrow with a pappus of several pointed scales (giving rise to the common name 'Spanish Needles' for P. arida). These plants self-sow freely.
They are attractive to bees, butterflies and birds and are used as food plants by the larva
e of some Lepidoptera
species including Schinia niveicosta
, which feeds exclusively on P. linearis.
Rosy Palafox (Palafoxia rosea) has been used in folk medicine
for the treatment of fever, nausea and chills.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s from the sunflower family (Asteraceae
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...
),
This genus is named after José de Palafox y Melzi, Duke of Saragossa
José de Palafox y Melzi, Duke of Saragossa
José Rebolledo de Palafox y Melzi, Duke of Saragossa was a Spanish general who fought in the Peninsular War.-Biography:...
(1776–1847), a Spanish captain-general, in the war against the invading armies of Napoleon.
These are drought-tolerant, annual herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s growing on sandy plains, dunes, deserts (Mojave desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
, Sonoran desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
) and rangeland, native to North America and Mexico. P. callosa is naturalised
Naturalisation (biology)
In biology, naturalisation is any process by which a non-native organism spreads into the wild and its reproduction is sufficient to maintain its population. Such populations are said to be naturalised....
in Hawaii.
The erect, slender stem
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
grows 30–60 cm tall, branching in the lower half and is sparsely leaved. It is glandular and hairy on the upper parts.
The glabrous, glandular leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are lanceolate, 3–20 mm wide and 4–7.5 cm long, and are arranged alternately.
A few flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
heads appear at the end of the upper branches. The reddish to pink ray florets have three narrow lobes. They are subtended by involucral bract
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...
s.
The seed-like fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is narrow with a pappus of several pointed scales (giving rise to the common name 'Spanish Needles' for P. arida). These plants self-sow freely.
They are attractive to bees, butterflies and birds and are used as food plants by the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including Schinia niveicosta
Schinia
Schinia, commonly called Flower Moths, is a large genus of moths belonging to the family Noctuidae. The genus has a Holarctic distribution with the vast majority of species being found in North America, many with a very restricted range and larval food plant.-Species Information and Food Plants:...
, which feeds exclusively on P. linearis.
Rosy Palafox (Palafoxia rosea) has been used in folk medicine
Folk medicine
-Description:Refers to healing practices and ideas of body physiology and health preservation known to a limited segment of the population in a culture, transmitted informally as general knowledge, and practiced or applied by anyone in the culture having prior experience.All cultures and societies...
for the treatment of fever, nausea and chills.
Species
- Palafoxia aridaPalafoxia aridaPalafoxia arida is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names desert palafox and Spanish needle. It is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is an annual herb producing an erect, branching, glandular stem. There are two...
B.L. Turner & Morris : Spanish Needles, Desert Palafox- Palafoxia arida var. arida : Desert palafox
- Palafoxia arida var. giganteaPalafoxia arida var. giganteaPalafoxia arida, var. gigantea, is a species of flowering plant from the sunflower family , genus Palafoxia...
: Giant Spanish Needles
- Palafoxia callosa (Nutt.) Torr. & Gray : Small Palafox
- Palafoxia feayi Gray : Feay's Palafox
- Palafoxia hookeriana Torr. & Gray : Sand Palafox
- Palafoxia hookeriana var. hookeriana : Sand Palafox
- Palafoxia hookeriana var. minor : Sand Palafox
- Palafoxia integrifolia (Nutt.) Torr. & Gray : Coastalplain Palafox
- Palafoxia reverchonii (Bush) Cory : Reverchon's Palafox
- Palafoxia riograndensis Cory : Rio Grande Palafox
- Palafoxia rosea (Bush) Cory : Rosy Palafox
- Palafoxia rosea var. macrolepis : Rosy Palafox
- Palafoxia rosea var. rosea : Rosy Palafox
- Palafoxia sphacelata (Nutt. ex Torr.) Cory : Showy Palafox, Sand Palafox, Rotting Palafox
- Palafoxia texana DC. :Texas Palafox
- Palafoxia texana var. ambigua : Texas Palafox
- Palafoxia texana var. texana : Texas Palafox