Smallflower western rosinweed facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Smallflower western rosinweed |
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C. pauciflora
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| Calycadenia pauciflora |
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The Calycadenia pauciflora is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the daisy family, just like sunflowers and dandelions! People often call it the smallflower western rosinweed. This plant is special because it is endemic to northern California. This means it naturally grows only in that specific area and nowhere else in the world! You can find it in the California Coast Ranges, which are mountains north of the San Francisco Bay Area. It grows from Napa County up to Tehama County.
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What Does the Smallflower Western Rosinweed Look Like?
The smallflower western rosinweed is an annual herb. This means it lives for only one growing season, from seed to flower to seed, and then it dies. It grows a thin, sometimes bent, stem that branches out. This stem can reach up to 50 centimeters (about 20 inches) tall and is covered in tiny hairs.
Stems and Leaves
The leaves of this plant are long and narrow, like a line. They can grow up to 5 centimeters (about 2 inches) long.
Flowers and Fruits
The plant's inflorescence (which is how the flowers are arranged on the stem) has special leaf-like parts called bracts. These bracts are covered with large, sticky resin glands. Small groups of flower heads grow among these bracts.
Each flower head is also hairy and sticky from glands. In the center of the flower head, there are a few tiny flowers called disc florets. Around these, there are one or two white or red ray florets. These ray florets are the "petals" you see on a daisy. Each ray floret has three small tips, and the middle tip is the shortest.
After the flowers bloom, the plant produces a type of fruit called an achene. An achene is a small, dry fruit that contains a single seed. The fruits that come from the disc florets in the center of the flower head have a fluffy or scaly top called a pappus. This pappus helps the seeds float away in the wind, spreading them to new places.
Naming the Plant
The second part of the plant's scientific name, pauciflora, comes from Latin. It means 'few flowered', which describes how this plant often has only a few flowers on each head.
