Serpentine arnica facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Serpentine arnica |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Arnica
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| Species: |
cernua
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| Synonyms | |
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Arnica chandleri Rydb. |
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Arnica cernua, also known as serpentine arnica, is a special type of arnica plant. It's a wild flower that grows naturally in certain parts of northern California and southern Oregon. This plant is quite unique because it loves to grow in a specific type of soil called serpentine soil.
About Serpentine Arnica
Serpentine arnica is a perennial herb. This means it's a plant that lives for more than two years. It comes back to life each growing season from its roots. It's not a tree or a bush, but a softer plant with green stems.
What It Looks Like
This plant usually grows one or more stems that can reach about 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) tall. The stems can be green or sometimes have a purplish color. It has 3 or 4 pairs of leaves. These leaves have long stems of their own, called petioles, which connect them to the main stem.
The leaves themselves are shaped like an oval or a spade. They can be several centimeters long.
Its Flowers
The top part of the plant, where the flowers grow, is called the inflorescence. This plant has one or more flower heads that look a lot like daisies. These flower heads are a bit hairy and sticky (glandular).
Each flower head has a center made of many small, yellowish disc florets. Around the edge, there's a fringe of bright yellow ray florets. These ray florets can grow up to 3 centimeters long.
How It Reproduces
After the flowers bloom, the plant produces fruit. The fruit of the serpentine arnica is a small, cylinder-shaped achene. It's about 7 millimeters long. This achene is covered in stiff hairs. At one end, it has a fluffy white part called a pappus. The pappus helps the seeds float away in the wind, spreading the plant to new places.
