Pyrrocoma lucida
Encyclopedia
Pyrrocoma lucida is a species of flowering plant in the aster family
known by the common name sticky goldenweed. It is endemic to California
, where it is known only from the northern Sierra Nevada. It grows in mountain forests and clay flats with alkali soils
. This is a perennial herb growing from a taproot
, producing an erect stem up to 75 centimeters tall. It is hairless and glandular, its surface resinous and shiny. The leaves are lance-shaped with sharply toothed edges, the largest near the base of the stem reaching 25 centimeters in length. Smaller leaves up to 10 centimeters long occur higher on the stem. The inflorescence
is a narrow spikelike array of many flower heads
lined with thick, overlapping, gland-dotted phyllaries
. Each head contains up to 40 yellow disc florets surrounded by a fringe of up to 20 yellow ray florets. The fruit is an achene
up to 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 sticky goldenweed. It is endemic to 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...
, where it is known only from the northern Sierra Nevada. It grows in mountain forests and clay flats with alkali soils
Alkali soils
Alkali, or alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH , a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico-chemical properties mainly to the dominating presence of sodium carbonate...
. This is a perennial herb growing from a taproot
Taproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
, producing an erect stem up to 75 centimeters tall. It is hairless and glandular, its surface resinous and shiny. The leaves are lance-shaped with sharply toothed edges, the largest near the base of the stem reaching 25 centimeters in length. Smaller leaves up to 10 centimeters long occur higher on the stem. The 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...
is a narrow spikelike array of many flower heads
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
lined with thick, overlapping, gland-dotted 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...
. Each head contains up to 40 yellow disc florets surrounded by a fringe of up to 20 yellow ray florets. 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 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...
.