Cotula plumosa

• Interesting Facts
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

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

Similar Species

Members of the genus Cotula

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 10 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

C. australis (Australian Waterbuttons) · C. bipinnata (Ferny Cotula) · C. coronopifolia (Bachelors Buttons) · C. coronopifolia 'Cream Buttons' (Brassbuttons) · C. hemisphaerica (Pin-Cushion Weed) · C. hispida (Goudknopjes) · C. matricarioides (Pineapple Weed) · C. mexicana (Mexican Brassbuttons) · C. pilulifera (Stinknet) · C. prostrata (Yerba De Tago)

More Info

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• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• Bulletin of miscellaneous information /Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 1908 London: H.M. Stationery Office, 1900-1941. url p. 247, p. 259.
• Darwinism: an exposition of the theory of natural selection, with some of its applications / by Alfred Russel Wallace. London; Macmillan, 1891. url p. 367, p. 367.
• Darwinism; an exposition of the theory of natural selection, with some of its applications, by Alfred Russel Wallace. London and New York, Macmillan and co., 1889. url p. 367.
• IUCN Directory of Afrotropical Protected Areas IUCN, UNEP url p. 1016, p. 707.
• Illustrations of the New Zealand flora / edited by T.F. Cheeseman with the assistance of W.B. Hemsley; the plates drawn by Matilda Smith. Wellington: John Mackay, Govt. Printer, 1914. url p. 539.
• Introduction to plant geography and some related sciences. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1960. url p. 420.
• Johnson's Gardeners' dictionary and cultural instructor. London, A. T. De La Mare printing and publishing co., ltd.[1916] url p. 493.
• Natural science. London: Macmillan & Co., [1892-1899] url p. 56.
• New Zealand plants and their story. By L. Cockayne. .. Wellington, N.Z., M.F. Marks, Govt. Printer, 1919. url p. 133.
• New Zealand plants suitable for North American gardens. By Dr. L. Cockayne. .. Panama Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, U. S. A., February-December, 1915. Wellington, N. Z., J. Mackay, Government Printer, 1914. url p. 30.
• Notes by a naturalist on the "Challenger", being an account of various observations made during the voyage of H.M.S. "Challenger" around the world, in the years 1872-1876, under the commands of Capt. Sir G. S. Nares and Capt. F. T. Thomson. By H. N. Moseley. London, Macmillan and co., 1879. url p. 610.
• Observations of a naturalist in the Pacific between 1896 and 1899 / by H.B. Guppy. London: Macmillan and Co., 1903-1906. url p. 241, p. 611.
• Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. Sydney, Linnean Society of New South Wales. url p. 3, p. 5, p. 70.
• Report of the Australian Association for the advancement of Science. Sidney, The Association. url p. 226, p. 227, p. 230.
• Report on the scientific results of the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-76: under the command of Captain George S. Nares, R.N., F.R.S. and Captain Frank Turle Thomson, R.N. / prepared under the superintendence of Sir C. Wyville Thomson. Edinburgh: Neill, 1880-1895. url p. 209, p. 251, p. 252, p. 55, p. 63.
• Science progress. London: Scientific Press, [1894-1898] url p. 295.
• The Gardeners' chronicle: a weekly illustrated journal of horticulture and allied subjects. London: [Gardeners Chronicle], 1874-1955. url p. 210, p. 43.
• The Plant world. Baltimore [etc.]Plant World Association [etc.] url p. 137.
• The subantarctic islands of New Zealand. Reports on the geo-physics, geology, zoology and botany of the islands lying to the south of New Zealand, based mainly on observations and collections made during an expedition in the government steam Wellington, N.Z.Printed by J. McKay, Gov't. Printer1909 url p. 199, p. 204, p. 205, p. 211, p. 227.
• Transactions and proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. Wellington: New Zealand Institute. url , p. 259, p. 350, p. 388, p. 40, p. 438, p. 489, p. 489, p. 490.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 11, 2012.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed January 27, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 8971209
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 2058044

Footnotes

1. Linda E. Watson "Cotula". in Flora of North America Vol. 19, 20 and 21 Page 52, 486, 543, 544. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.