Yellowflower tarweed facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yellowflower tarweed |
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H. virgata
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| Holocarpha virgata (A.Gray) D.D.Keck 1958
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Holocarpha virgata, also known as yellowflower tarweed, is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the aster family, which includes many plants like sunflowers. People also call it pitgland tarweed or narrow tarplant.
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Where Yellowflower Tarweed Grows
Holocarpha virgata is a plant that grows only in California. This means it is endemic to California. You can find it most often in the Central Valley. This area includes the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley.
It also grows in the hills next to these valleys. These hills are part of the Inner Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada mountains. You can also find some groups of these plants further south. They grow in the hills of the Peninsular Ranges. This includes areas in San Diego County, western Riverside County, and Orange County.
What Yellowflower Tarweed Looks Like
Holocarpha virgata is an annual herb. This means it grows from a seed, flowers, produces seeds, and then dies all within one year. It has a stem that stands straight up. This stem can be about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) tall. Some plants can even grow to be over 1 metre (3.3 ft) tall.
The plant has many branches. Its stems and branches are covered with oily glands and small hairs. The leaves near the bottom of the plant can be up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long. The leaves higher up on the stem are much smaller.
Yellowflower Tarweed Flowers
The plant's inflorescence is how its flowers are arranged. It has several short branches. These branches are covered with small, thick, green bracts. Bracts are like small leaves that are often found near flowers. These bracts are only a few millimeters long. Each bract has tiny glands at its tip.
At the end of these branches are the flower heads. Each flower head is surrounded by special bracts called phyllaries. These phyllaries are covered in sticky, lumpy glands that look like resin. Each flower head has 9 to 25 small yellow flowers inside. These are called disc florets. They have black or purplish parts called anthers.
Around the edge of the flower head, there are 3 to 7 yellow ray florets. These are the parts that look like petals. They often have tips that are split or lobed.
Different Types of Yellowflower Tarweed
There are two main types, or subspecies, of Holocarpha virgata:
- Holocarpha virgata subsp. elongata - This type is found in San Diego County, western Riverside County, and Orange County.
- Holocarpha virgata subsp. virgata - This type grows in the Central Valley and other areas mentioned.
