Stephanomeria lactucina
Encyclopedia
Stephanomeria lactucina is a species of flowering plant in the aster family
known by the common names lettuce wirelettuce and woodland wirelettuce. It is native to Oregon
and California
, where it grows in coastal and inland mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada. It can be found in many types of habitat, including coniferous forests. It is rhizomatous
perennial herb producing a slender, erect stem reaching 30 to 60 centimeters in maximum height. The linear or lance-shaped leaves are up to 8 centimeters long and their edges are lined with widely spaced teeth. Solitary flower heads
occur on erect peduncles
. Each head contains up to 10 ray florets, each with an elongated tube and a fringed pink ligule roughly a centimeter long. The fruit is an achene
tipped with a spreading cluster of long, plumelike pappus bristles
.
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 lettuce wirelettuce and woodland wirelettuce. It is native to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and 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 grows in coastal and inland mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada. It can be found in many types of habitat, including coniferous forests. It is rhizomatous
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
perennial herb producing a slender, erect stem reaching 30 to 60 centimeters in maximum height. The linear or lance-shaped leaves are up to 8 centimeters long and their edges are lined with widely spaced teeth. Solitary flower heads
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
occur on erect peduncles
Peduncle (botany)
In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.The peduncle is a stem, usually green and without leaves, though sometimes colored or supporting small leaves...
. Each head contains up to 10 ray florets, each with an elongated tube and a fringed pink ligule roughly a centimeter long. 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...
tipped with a spreading cluster of long, plumelike pappus bristles
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...
.