Woodland tidytips facts for kids

Layia gaillardioides is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the daisy family. Most people know it by its common name, woodland tidytips. This plant is special because it is endemic to California. This means it grows naturally only in California. You can find it along the coastline and in the coastal mountain ranges in the northern and central parts of the state.

About Woodland Tidytips

Woodland tidytips is an annual herb. This means it completes its whole life cycle in one year. The plant has a nice smell and grows a straight stem. This stem can reach up to 3 feet (about 1 meter) tall. It is covered in tiny, sticky hairs.

Leaves and Stems

The leaves of the woodland tidytips are long and narrow, like a line or a spear tip. The leaves closer to the bottom of the plant can be up to 10 centimeters long. These lower leaves often have rounded sections or small teeth along their edges.

Flowers and Seeds

The plant produces a special type of flower head. This head looks like a single flower but is actually made of many tiny flowers grouped together. The base of the flower head is round and covered in fuzzy green leaf-like parts called phyllaries.

The flower head opens up to show bright yellow petals around the edge. These are called ray florets. Sometimes, the tips of these yellow petals are white. In the center of the flower head are many small disc florets. These tiny flowers have purple parts called anthers.

After the flower blooms, it produces a type of fruit called an achene. This is a small, dry fruit that contains one seed. The fruits from the disc florets often have a thick, fluffy top made of white or brown bristles. This fluffy part is called a pappus. It helps the seeds float away on the wind.