Longspine horsebrush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Longspine horsebrush |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
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Senecioneae
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| Genus: |
Tetradymia
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| Species: |
T. axillaris
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| Binomial name | |
| Tetradymia axillaris A. Nels.
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Tetradymia axillaris is a cool flowering plant. It belongs to the daisy family. People often call it longspine horsebrush or cottonthorn. This plant grows in the dry, sunny areas of the southwestern United States. You can find it in places with sagebrush and other desert plants.
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Meet the Longspine Horsebrush!
The longspine horsebrush is a very interesting plant. It has a unique way of protecting itself.
What Does It Look Like?
This plant grows into a wide, bushy plant. It is very spiny, which helps keep animals from eating it. When the plant is young, it has green, fuzzy stems. Its leaves are also green and hairy.
As the plant gets older, something cool happens. The green leaves dry up and fall off. But their strong veins stay behind! These veins become very hard and sharp spines. Imagine a plant that turns its own leaves into needles!
When it's time to bloom, the bush gets pretty yellow flowers. They look a lot like tiny daisies. These flowers grow in the "axils" of the newest branches. An axil is just the angle where a leaf or branch meets the main stem. After the flowers, the plant makes fruits. These fruits release lots of fluffy, cotton-like seeds. The wind helps carry these seeds away to new places.
Where Does It Grow?
You can find the longspine horsebrush in the desert areas of the southwestern United States. It likes places with lots of sunshine and not too much water. It's a common sight in the Great Basin and the desert regions of California. This plant is tough and can live in dry, harsh conditions.
Cool Facts and Uses
The sharp spines of the longspine horsebrush were very useful to some Native American groups. The Kawaiisu people, who lived in California, used these spines. They used them as needles for tattooing. This shows how people found creative ways to use plants around them.
Different Kinds of Horsebrush
There are two main types, or varieties, of this plant. They are called var. axillaris and var. longispina. Sometimes, these two types grow in the same areas. When they do, their features can mix together. This means you might see plants that have a little bit of both types.
