Alpineflames facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alpineflames |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
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Astereae
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| Genus: |
Pyrrocoma
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| Species: |
P. apargioides
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| Binomial name | |
| Pyrrocoma apargioides (A.Gray) Greene
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| Synonyms | |
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Haplopappus apargioides |
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Pyrrocoma apargioides is a beautiful flowering plant. Its common name is alpineflames. This plant belongs to the aster family, which includes sunflowers and daisies.
You can find alpineflames growing in the western United States. It lives in places like the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. It also grows east into Utah. This plant loves the forests and meadows of high mountains.
What Does Alpineflames Look Like?
Alpineflames is a perennial herb. This means it's a plant that lives for many years. It grows from a taproot, which is a main root that goes straight down into the soil.
The plant usually has one or more stems. These stems can grow up to 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) long. They might grow along the ground or stand up straight. The stems are often reddish and can be smooth or slightly woolly.
Leaves and Flowers
Most of the leaves on an alpineflames plant are found near its base. They are thick and feel a bit leathery. The leaves are shaped like a lance and have large saw-like teeth along their edges. Often, they have a white stripe down the middle. These leaves can be up to 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) long.
The plant usually has a single flower head. This head is surrounded by special leaves called phyllaries. These phyllaries are about a centimeter long and can be reddish or green with red edges.
The center of the flower head is filled with small, yellow disc florets. Around the edge, you'll see ray florets. These look like petals and are also yellow. Sometimes, they have splashes of red on their undersides. Each ray floret can be up to 1.6 centimeters (about 0.6 inches) long.
Seeds and Fruit
After the flower blooms, it produces a fruit called an achene. An achene is a small, dry fruit that contains a single seed. The achene of alpineflames can be more than a centimeter long. It also has a fluffy top called a pappus. This pappus helps the seed float away in the wind, just like a dandelion seed.
