Thorn skeletonweed facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Thorn skeletonweed |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
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| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Tribe: |
Cichorieae
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| Subtribe: |
Microseridinae
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| Genus: |
Pleiacanthus
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| Species: |
P. spinosus
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| Binomial name | |
| Pleiacanthus spinosus (Nutt.) Rydb.
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| Synonyms | |
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Lygodesmia spinosa |
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Pleiacanthus spinosus, also known as thorn skeletonweed or thorny skeletonweed, is a special type of flowering plant. It is the only species in its group, called Pleiacanthus. This plant belongs to the aster family, which includes sunflowers and daisies. It used to be called Stephanomeria spinosa.
Contents
Where Thorn Skeletonweed Lives
This plant grows naturally in the western United States. You can find it from Montana and Idaho all the way down to southern California and Arizona. It likes to grow in many different kinds of dry places, from hot deserts to cool mountains.
What Thorn Skeletonweed Looks Like
Thorn skeletonweed is a small, woody plant that looks a bit like a shrub. It's called a subshrub. It has several thin stems that can grow up to 40 or 50 centimeters (about 16 to 20 inches) tall. These stems grow from a woody base called a caudex.
The stems branch out many times into short, stiff twigs. The ends of these twigs are very sharp, like thorns! The plant is mostly smooth, but it has some brownish, fuzzy patches at its base and under its lowest leaves.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves on the lower part of the stem are small and thin. Higher up on the branches, the leaves are tiny, almost like scales.
The plant's flowers grow near the ends of the branches. Each flower head has a tube-shaped base. This base is covered by a single layer of special leaves called phyllaries. Inside each flower head, there are usually 3 to 5 small flowers called ray florets. Each of these has a long tube and a petal-like part (called a ligule) that can be pale or bright pink.
Fruits of the Plant
After the flowers bloom, the plant produces a fruit called an achene. This is a small, dry fruit, similar to a sunflower seed. On top of the achene, there's a cluster of stiff hairs called pappus bristles. These bristles are not feathery like those found on other plants that used to be in the Stephanomeria group. This difference helped scientists decide that Pleiacanthus spinosus should be in its own group.
See also
In Spanish: Pleiacanthus para niños
