Monoptilon bellioides
| Monoptilon bellioides | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Monoptilon |
| Species: | M. bellioides
|
| Binomial name | |
| Monoptilon bellioides | |
Monoptilon bellioides, the desert star, also called Mojave desertstar,[1] is a desert flowering plant in the family Asteraceae.
Description
[edit]Monoptilon bellioides is a short annual plant; in seasons with very little rainfall, the plant may only grow to 1–2 centimetres (1⁄2–3⁄4 in), if it grows at all, while in seasons of heavy rainfall, it can grow up to 25 cm (10 in) tall. The leaves are linear, 5–10 millimetres (3⁄16–3⁄8 in) long, with a blunt apex and stiff hairs.[2]
The flowers are produced in dense inflorescences (capitula), 2 cm wide,[2] with white ray florets and yellow disc florets in the center. The flowers open in the morning and close in the evening.
Similar species
[edit]Found in the same region, the fruit of Monoptilon bellidiforme is topped by one plume-tipped bristle.[2]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]It is native to stony and sandy plains in the Mojave Desert of California, the Sonoran Deserts of the Southwestern United States, and northwestern Mexico.[2] It is very common in the northern, eastern, and southern parts of the desert.
References
[edit]- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Monoptilon bellioides". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d Spellenberg, Richard (2001) [1979]. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region (rev. ed.). Knopf. p. 390. ISBN 978-0-375-40233-3.
- Stewart, Jon Mark (1998). Mojave Desert Wildflowers, p. 41.
