font settings and languages

Font Size: Large | Normal | Small
Font Face: Verdana | Geneva | Georgia
Languages:

Madia subspicata

(Slender Tarweed)

Overview

[ Back to top ]

Threatened

Threat status

Interesting Facts

[ Back to top ]
 

Common Names

[ Back to top ]

Common Names in English:

Slender Tarweed

Description

[ Back to top ]

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 Madia

Annuals , 5-250 cm. Stems erect . Leaves mostly cauline (at flowering) proximal opposite (often in rosettes), distal alternate; sessile; blades lanceolate or oblong-linear to linear , margins usually entire, sometimes toothed , faces hirsute to strigose , usually glandular-pubescent as well. Heads usually radiate (sometimes discoid in M. glomerata), in corymbiform , paniculiform , racemiform , or spiciform arrays or in glomerules . Peduncular bracts: pit-glands, tack-glands, and/or spines 0. Involucres ellipsoid , depressed-globose, globose , obconic, ovoid , or urceolate , 1-10+ mm diam. Phyllaries 0 (then outer paleae functioning as phyllaries, sometimes in M. glomerata), or 1-22 in 1 series (lance-linear to lance-attenuate or oblanceolate , herbaceous, each mostly or wholly enveloping a subtended ray ovary, abaxially hirsute and, usually, glandular ). Receptacles flat to convex , glabrous or setulose , paleate (paleae persistent or falling readily, in 1 series between rays and discs, ± connate or distinct , phyllary-like, more scarious ). Ray florets 0 (sometimes in M. glomerata), or 1-22, pistillate , fertile ; corollas yellowish (with maroon bases sometimes in M. elegans; purplish red sometimes in M. sativa). Disc florets 1-80+, bisexual and fertile or functionally staminate ; corollas usually yellow, sometimes purplish, tubes shorter than or about equaling funnelform throats , lobes 5, deltate (anthers ± dark purple or yellow to brownish; styles glabrous proximal to branches). Ray cypselae compressed , ± 3-angled, or rarely terete , clavate (often arcuate , basal attachments central or offset , apices sometimes beaked , faces glabrous) ; pappi 0. Disc cypselae similar, sometimes obovoid (often ± straight, basal attachments central, apices not beaked), sometimes 0; pappi 0. x = 8.

Species 10: North America, South America, Pacific Islands (Hawaii, probably introduced ).[1]

Physical Description

Species Madia subspicata

Plants 5-60 cm, self-compatible (heads not showy). Stems proximally ± villous , distally glandular-pubescent , glands yellowish, lateral branches not surpassing main stems . Leaf blades linear to lance-linear , 2-7 cm × 1-5 mm. Heads in spiciform or spiciform-racemiform arrays (peduncles 0 or lengths usually less than 2 times heads). Involucres globose or ovoid , 6-8 mm. Phyllaries ± hirsute and thick-stalked-glandular as well, glands golden yellow, apices ± erect , sulcate or flat. Paleae mostly persistent , distinct or connate less than 1/2 their lengths. Ray florets 5-8; corollas pale yellow, laminae 1-2.5 mm. Disc florets 5-15, bisexual , fertile ; corollas 3-3.5 mm, pubescent ; anthers yellow to brownish. Ray cypselae black or brown, sometimes purple-mottled, dull , compressed , ± clavate , beakless. Disc cypselae similar. 2n = 16. [source]

Habit: Forb/herb

Flowers: Bloom Period: April, May, June.

Habitat

Grasslands and open woodlands, often in shade; 50-800 m [2].

Biology

[ Back to top ]

Reproduction

Duration: Annual

Taxonomy

[ Back to top ]

Notes

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

Similar Species

[ Back to top ]

Members of the genus Madia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 21 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

M. anomala (Plump-Seed Tarweed) · M. bolanderi (Bolander's Madia) · M. citrigracilis (Shasta Tarweed) · M. citriodora (Lemon-Scent Tarweed) · M. doris-nilesiae (Doris Niles Madia) · M. elegans densifolia (Common Madia) · M. elegans vernalis (Common Madia) · M. elegans wheeleri (Common Madia) · M. exigua (Little Tarweed) · M. glomerata (Cluster Tarweed) · M. gracilis (Grassy Tarweed) · M. hallii (Hall's Madia) · M. madioides (Woodland Madia) · M. minima (Least Tarweed) · M. nutans (Nodding Madia) · M. radiata (Golden Madia) · M. rammii (Ramm's Madia) · M. sativa (Chile Tarweed) · M. stebbinsii (Stebbins' Madia) · M. subspicata (Slender Tarweed) · M. yosemitana (Yosemite Tarweed)

More Info

[ Back to top ]

Further Reading

[ Back to top ]

Notes

[ Back to top ]

Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 19, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Bruce G. Baldwin, John L. Strother "Madia". in Flora of North America Vol. 21 Page 255, 257, 295, 296, 298, 300, 302, 303, 304. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Madia subspicata". in Flora of North America Vol. 21 Page 305, 306. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012