Lessingia arachnoidea

Greene

Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. 2: 29. 1910.

Common names: Crystal Springs lessingia
EndemicConservation concern
Synonyms: Lessingia hololeuca var. arachnoidea (Greene) J. T. Howell Lessingia micradenia var. arachnoidea (Greene) Ferris
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 20. Treatment on page 457. Mentioned on page 453.

Plants 15–80 cm. Stems erect, tan, glabrous or villous. Leaves: basal withering by flowering; cauline margins entire, faces eglandular, abaxial glabrous or villous. Heads borne singly, at ends of branchlets. Involucres obconic, 4–8 mm. Phyllaries purple-tipped, faces arachnose, sometimes gland-dotted; inner scarious. Disc florets (3–)8–18; corollas pink to lavender (color more intense in tubes); style-branch appendages truncate-penicillate, 0.1–0.3 mm. Pappi tan, usually shorter than cypselae, sometimes forming coronas, rarely equaling or longer than cypselae (Sonoma County). 2n = 10.


Phenology: Flowering Jul–Oct.
Habitat: Grasslands, coastal scrub, chaparral, woodlands, serpentinite soils
Elevation: 100–300 m

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Lessingia arachnoidea is known from near Crystal Springs Reservoir in San Mateo County and near Camp Meeker in Sonoma County. Previous circumscriptions of L. arachnoidea (pappi shorter than cypselae, forming coronas) have been expanded to include plants (from Sonoma County) with pappi equaling or longer than cypselae. Alternatively, the plants with longer pappi could have been accommodated in L. ramulosa (as a glandless form); the absence of basal leaves at flowering and the presence of arachnoid indument on the phyllaries suggest a closer affinity to L. arachnoidea.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Lessingia arachnoidea"
Staci Markos +
Greene +
Crystal Springs lessingia +
100–300 m +
Grasslands, coastal scrub, chaparral, woodlands, serpentinite soils +
Flowering Jul–Oct. +
Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. +
Endemic +  and Conservation concern +
Lessingia hololeuca var. arachnoidea +  and Lessingia micradenia var. arachnoidea +
Lessingia arachnoidea +
Lessingia +
species +