Glandular hareleaf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Glandular hareleaf |
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L. glandulosa
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| Lagophylla glandulosa |
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Lagophylla glandulosa is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the sunflower family. People often call it the glandular hareleaf. This plant is special because it only grows in California. You can find it in the Central Valley and its nearby hills. It likes to grow in areas with chaparral, grasslands, and woodlands.
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Discovering the Glandular Hareleaf
Home Sweet Home in California
The glandular hareleaf is an endemic plant. This means it naturally grows only in one specific place. For this plant, that place is California. It thrives in the warm Central Valley region. You can also spot it in the foothills, which are the smaller hills at the base of mountains. It likes different kinds of habitats. These include chaparral (a type of shrubland), open grasslands, and areas with scattered trees, known as woodlands.
A Closer Look at the Plant
This plant is an annual herb. This means it completes its whole life cycle in just one year. It grows a very thin stem. This stem is covered in tiny, sticky hairs called glandular hairs. These hairs are especially noticeable near the top of the plant.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves of the glandular hareleaf are different depending on where they are on the stem. The leaves near the top are usually small. They have smooth edges and are also covered in glandular hairs. But the leaves closer to the bottom of the plant are much larger. They also have jagged or "toothed" edges.
The plant's flowers grow in special groups called flower heads. Each flower head has five bright yellow "ray florets." These look like the petals of a daisy. Each ray floret has three small lobes, or sections. In the very center of the flower head, there are six "disc florets." These are also yellow, but they have black parts called anthers. Anthers are where pollen is made.
Reproduction and Fruit
After the flowers bloom, the plant produces fruit. The fruit of the glandular hareleaf is a dark brown achene. An achene is a small, dry fruit that contains one seed. Think of a sunflower seed; that's an achene! This plant's achene does not have a pappus. A pappus is a feathery or bristly structure that helps some seeds fly away in the wind.
