Cotula kostchyi

Interesting Facts

Description

Family Compositae

The largest family of flowering plants , the Compositae (Asteraceae), comprising about 1,100 genera and more than 20,000 species and characterized by many small flowers arranged in a head looking like a single flower and subtended by an involucre of bracts. A head may consist of both ray flowers and disk flowers, as in the sunflower, of disk flowers only, as in the burdock, or of ray flowers only, as in the dandelion.

Genus Cotula

Annuals or perennials , 2-25[-50+] cm (sometimes aromatic ). Stems usually 1, erect or prostrate to decumbent or ascending (sometimes rooting at nodes), usually branched, glabrous or ± strigillose to villous (hairs mostly basifixed ). Leaves usually mostly cauline [basal]; alternate [opposite]; petiolate or sessile; blades obovate or spatulate to lanceolate or linear , sometimes 1-3-pinnately [palmati-pinnately] lobed , ultimate margins entire or irregularly toothed , faces glabrous or ± strigillose to villous [lanate ] (hairs mostly basifixed). Heads disciform [discoid or radiate ], borne singly (peduncles sometimes dilated ). Involucres broadly hemispheric to saucer-shaped , 3-12+[-15+] mm diam. Phyllaries persistent , 13-30+ in 2-3+ series, margins and apices (colorless, light to dark brown, or purplish) scarious . Receptacles flat to convex [conic], epaleate (sometimes ± covered with persistent stalks of florets ). Ray florets 0 [5-8+, pistillate , fertile ; corollas white] (peripheral pistillate florets 8-80+ in 1-3+ series; corollas usually none). Disc florets 12-200+[-600+], bisexual , fertile [functionally staminate ]; corollas ochroleucous or yellow, tubes ± cylindric (bases sometimes adaxially saccate ), throats abruptly ampliate , lobes (3-) 4, ± deltate (sometimes one larger than others, usually each with central resin canal). Cypselae obovoid to oblong , ob-compressed or -flattened, ribs 2, lateral , sometimes becoming wings , faces ± papillate (pericarps relatively thin, sometimes with myxogenic cells and/or 2 lateral resin sacs ) ; pappi 0. x = 10.

Species 55: introduced ; s Old World; introduced also (perhaps some native ) in Mexico, South America, s Oceanic Islands .

Some species of Cotula are widely naturalized . F. Hrusa et al. (2002) reported Cotula mexicana (de Candolle) Cabrera as established on golf courses in California; it is similar to C. australis and differs in leaf blades mostly 1-pinnate, receptacles pilose , and disc florets functionally staminate.[1]

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Plantae () - Haeckel, 1866 - Plants
  - Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae () - Cavalier-Smith, 1981
    - Phylum: Tracheophyta () - Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Vascular Plants
      - Subphylum: Euphyllophytina ()
        Class: Magnoliopsida () - Brongniart, 1843 - Dicotyledons
        Subclass: Asteridae () - Takhtajan, 1967
        Superorder: Campanulanae () - Takhtajan Ex Reveal, 1992
        Order: Asterales () - Lindley, 1833
        Family: Compositae () - Giseke, 1792, nom. cons., nom. alt.
        Subfamily: Asteroideae ()
        Tribe: Anthemideae ()
        Subtribe: Matricariinae ()
        Genus: Cotula () - C. Linnaeus, 1753 - [Greek kotule, small cup]
        Specific epithet: kostchyi
        Botanical name: - Cotula kostchyi