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Lygodesmia dianthopsis

(Antelope Island Skeleton-Plant)

Overview

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Vulnerable

Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Antelope Island Skeleton-Plant, Antelope Island Skeletonplant, Antelope Island Skeletonweed

Description

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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 Lygodesmia

Perennials , 5-80 cm; rhizomatous or taprooted (roots vertical , rhizomes spreading ). Stems 1-5+, (green to gray-green, rushlike, ± striate ), simple to or much branched proximally and/or distally, usually glabrous , rarely tomentulose . Leaves basal (sometimes in rosettes) and cauline; sessile; blades linear to subulate , sometimes reduced to scales , margins entire or sparingly pinnately laciniately lobed (faces usually glabrous, rarely tomentulose). Heads borne singly or in loose , corymbiform arrays. Peduncles not inflated distally, bracteate . Calyculi of 8-16, ovate to subulate or scalelike bracteoles in 1-2 series, unequal, margins scarious to erose-ciliate, faces glabrous or tomentulose, sometimes roughened. Involucres cylindric , 5-8 mm diam. (apices truncate , narrow or spreading). Phyllaries 5-12 in ± 1 series, grayish green, ± linear, equal, margins scarious, faces glabrous or puberulent , sometimes roughened . Receptacles flat, sometimes pitted , sometimes scabrous , epaleate. Florets 5-12; corollas usually pink to lavender or purple, rarely white. Cypselae pale green to tan, subcylindric , straight or arcuate , subterete or longitudinally angled or sulcate , apices sometimes narrowed, not beaked , faces smooth or rugose-roughened, glabrous; pappi persistent , of 60-80, tawny or white, ± connate , smooth bristles in 1-2+ series. x = 9.

Species 5: North America; n Mexico

Lygodesmia is easily recognized by the green, rushlike stems, narrow and often greatly reduced leaves, and terminal heads of showy, rosy, ligulate florets . It has been consideredcongeneric with Stephanomeria, Prenanthella, and Shinnersoseris; A. S. Tomb (1980) concluded that those taxa are not closely related. The annual species with plumose pappus bristles that formerly were included in Lygodesmia have been removed to those genera.[1]

Physical Description

Habit: Forb/herb

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Lygodesmia grandiflora var. dianthopsis (Eat. Ex King) Welsh

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication : Sida 3:532. 1970

Name verified on 26-Mar-1999 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 11-Feb-2007

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Lygodesmia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 9 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

L. aphylla (Rose Rush) · L. arizonica (Arizona Skeletonplant) · L. dianthopsis (Antelope Island Skeleton-Plant) · L. doloresensis (Dolores River Skeleton-Plant) · L. entrada (Entrada Skeletonplant) · L. grandiflora (Large-Flower Skeleton Plant) · L. juncea (Rush Skeleton-Plant) · L. ramosissima (Pecos River Skeletonplant) · L. texana (Jelly Bean Stonecrop)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 28, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. David J. Bogler "Lygodesmia". in Flora of North America Vol. 19, 20 and 21 Page 219, 360, 361, 369, 370. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012