Spiny aster facts for kids
Herrickia horrida is a type of flowering plant that belongs to the aster family. It's commonly called horrid herrickia. This plant grows naturally in parts of Colorado and New Mexico in the United States. You can only find it in the area around the Animas River. Sometimes, scientists include this plant in a different group called Eurybia.
Quick facts for kids Spiny aster |
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H. horrida
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| Herrickia horrida Woot. & Standl. 1913
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Contents
What Does Herrickia Horrida Look Like?
Herrickia horrida is a plant that grows in clumps. It can be a perennial herb, which means it lives for more than two years, or a small shrub. It usually grows to be about 30 to 60 centimeters (about 1 to 2 feet) tall. It grows from a tough, woody underground stem called a rhizome.
Stems and Leaves
This plant can have one or many stems. These stems are covered in tiny glands that produce a sticky substance called resin. The leaves are shaped like ovals or oblongs. They have bases that wrap around the stem. Each leaf can be up to 4.5 centimeters long. They feel tough and are covered in rough hairs. Their edges have small, spiny teeth.
Flowers and Blooming Time
The plant's flowers can appear as a single flower head or in a group of several heads. Each flower head has special green or purplish leaves called phyllaries around its base. These are also glandular. The flower heads have purple "petals" called ray florets, which can be up to 2.2 centimeters long. In the center, there are yellow or purplish disc florets. Herrickia horrida usually blooms in the summer, but it can keep blooming as late as October.
Seeds and Fruit
After blooming, the plant produces a fruit called an achene. This is a small, dry fruit that contains a single seed. The achene has a fluffy top made of bristles, called a pappus. This pappus helps the seeds float away in the wind.
Where Does Herrickia Horrida Grow?
Herrickia horrida likes to grow on dry mountain slopes and in canyons. You can often find it in areas with oak trees, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and grasslands. Much of the places where it grows are rugged and hard to reach. This helps protect the plant from being disturbed by people.
See Also
In Spanish: Chloracantha para niños
