Mountain tarweed facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mountain tarweed |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Madia
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M. glomerata
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| Madia glomerata |
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Madia glomerata is a type of flowering plant often called mountain tarweed. It belongs to the aster family, which also includes sunflowers and daisies. This plant is known for its strong, not-so-pleasant smell and sticky feel.
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Where Mountain Tarweed Grows
Mountain tarweed is the most common type of Madia plant. You can find it in many places across western and northern North America. Its natural home stretches from Alaska all the way down to the Southwestern United States. It also grows across most of southern Canada and reaches into the Great Lakes region. This wide range shows how tough and adaptable this plant is!
What Mountain Tarweed Looks Like
Mountain tarweed is an annual herb, which means it grows, flowers, and dies within one year. It can grow quite tall, sometimes even over a meter (about 3 feet).
Stem and Leaves
The stem of the plant can be branched or grow straight up. It's covered in leaves and feels hairy or bristly. You might also notice small, sticky yellow dots on it. These are resin glands, and they make the plant feel sticky. The leaves themselves can be up to 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) long and also feel rough.
Flowers and Scent
The plant has a very strong, unpleasant smell. Its flowers usually grow in clusters. Each flower head has yellow disc florets, which are tiny tube-shaped flowers often with black tips. Sometimes, there are also one or more small greenish or purplish-yellow ray florets, which look like petals.
Seeds
After the flowers bloom, the plant produces fruit. The fruit is a flat, black achene. An achene is a small, dry, one-seeded fruit, like a sunflower seed. Unlike some other plants, mountain tarweed's seeds don't have a fluffy top (called a pappus) to help them fly in the wind.
Where It Lives
You can find mountain tarweed growing in many different kinds of places. It's especially good at growing in disturbed areas, like along roadsides or in fields where the ground has been moved. This shows how hardy and adaptable it is to different environments.
