California dandelion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Agoseris grandiflora |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Agoseris grandiflora var. grandiflora | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: |
Cichorioideae
|
| Tribe: |
Cichorieae
|
| Genus: |
Agoseris
|
| Species: |
A. grandiflora
|
| Binomial name | |
| Agoseris grandiflora (Nutt.) Greene
|
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Synonymy
Agoseris cinerea Greene
Agoseris intermedia Greene Agoseris marshallii (Greene) Kuntze Agoseris marshallii (Greene) Greene Agoseris obtusifolia (Suksd.) Rydb. Agoseris plebeia (Greene) Greene Microrhynchus grandiflorus (Nutt.) Torr. & A.Gray Stylopappus grandiflorus Nutt. Troximon grandiflorum (Nutt.) A.Gray Troximon marshallii Greene Troximon plebeium Greene |
|
Agoseris grandiflora is a pretty flowering plant from North America. People often call it the California dandelion, bigflower agoseris, or grassland agoseris. It's part of the daisy family, which is a very large group of plants! You can find this plant growing in many different places. It lives from British Columbia in Canada all the way down to California and Utah in the United States. It likes to grow in various natural areas.
About the Plant
Agoseris grandiflora is a plant that lives for many years. We call plants like this "perennial herbs." It grows a bunch of leaves right from its base. These leaves can be different shapes and grow up to 50 centimeters long. Usually, this plant doesn't have a main stem that you can see.
What looks like a stem is actually a special stalk called a peduncle. This stalk holds the plant's flowers. It can grow quite tall, sometimes almost a meter high! The peduncle is covered in soft, white hairs.
At the very top of this stalk, you'll find the flower head. This isn't just one flower, but many tiny flowers grouped together. It can be up to 4 centimeters wide. The head is surrounded by reddish or purplish-green leaf-like parts called phyllaries. These phyllaries have tips that curl.
The flower head is "ligulate," which means it has many yellow, strap-shaped petals. These are called ray florets. Unlike some other daisy-family plants, Agoseris grandiflora does not have disc florets (the small, tube-shaped flowers usually found in the center of a daisy).
After the flower blooms, it produces a fruit called an achene. This achene can be almost 3 centimeters long. It has a long, thin part called a "beak." At the end of the beak, there's a fluffy, white tuft called a pappus. The pappus helps the seeds float away in the wind.
Different Kinds
Just like there can be different types of apples, there are also different kinds of Agoseris grandiflora. These are called "varieties." They are slightly different versions of the same plant species.
- Agoseris grandiflora var. grandiflora
- Agoseris grandiflora var. leptophylla
