Harmonia guggolziorum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Harmonia guggolziorum |
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| Conservation status | |
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| (unranked): | |
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Madieae
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H. guggolziorum
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| Harmonia guggolziorum B.G.Baldw.
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The Harmonia guggolziorum is a very rare plant found only in California. It belongs to the tarweed tribe within the large aster family, which includes sunflowers and daisies. People often call it the Guggolz tarplant or Guggolzes' harmonia.
This special plant grows only in Mendocino County, California. It has been found in just two small areas near a town called Hopland. It likes to grow in a special type of ground called serpentine soil, which is found in chaparral habitats (a kind of shrubland). Scientists only discovered this plant in the year 2000 and officially described it in 2001.
Discovering a New Plant
This unique plant was named after Jack and Betty Guggolz. They were plant lovers from California. In 2000, they were the ones who first found and collected a sample of this plant. This sample is called the type specimen. It's like the official example that scientists use to describe a new species.
What Does It Look Like?
The Guggolz tarplant is an annual herb. This means it lives for only one growing season, from seed to flower to seed. It grows a straight stem that can reach up to 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) tall. The stem often branches out near the top.
Its leaves are mostly found around the middle of the stem and near where the upper branches start. The leaves are long and thin. They feel rough because they are covered in tiny hairs and have special glands that produce a sticky resin.
The plant's flowers grow in what looks like a single flower head or a small group of heads. Each flower head has about 3 to 6 bright yellow ray florets. These are the petal-like parts that stick out from the center, and each one is about half a centimeter long.
Why Is It So Rare?
Scientists believe that the Guggolz tarplant might be naturally rare. It seems to have evolved to live only on its specific type of ultramafic soil. This special soil might be why it has never spread to other areas.
