Agoseris
Encyclopedia
Agoseris is a small genus of liguliferous herbs in the Asteraceae
or sunflower
family. In general appearance they are reminiscent of dandelions and are sometimes called mountain dandelion or false dandelion. Like dandelions the plants are (mostly) stemless, the leaves being all basal and forming a rosette
, contain milky sap, produce several unbranched, stem-like flower stalks (peduncle
s), each flower stalk bearing a single, erect flower head that contains several yellow florets, the flower head maturing into a ball-like seed head of beaked achene
s, each achene with a pappus
of numerous, white bristles.
amphitropical distribution (occurring in temperate regions of both North and South America). Most species are found in cordilleran regions of western North America
, being distributed from the Yukon Territory and Alaska
southward to Baja California
, Arizona
, and New Mexico
, and from the Pacific coast eastward to the northern Great Plains
. Disjunct, isolated populations occur on the Gaspe Peninsula
and Otish Mountains of Quebec
, near the Hudson Bay
in Ontario
, and on hills near the Arctic Ocean
in the Northwest Territories
. One species is native to the southern Andes Mountains of Argentina
and Chile
, southward to Patagonia
, Tierra del Fuego
, and the Falkland Islands
.
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
or sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
family. In general appearance they are reminiscent of dandelions and are sometimes called mountain dandelion or false dandelion. Like dandelions the plants are (mostly) stemless, the leaves being all basal and forming a rosette
Rosette (botany)
In botany, a rosette is a circular arrangement of leaves, with all the leaves at a single height.Though rosettes usually sit near the soil, their structure is an example of a modified stem.-Function:...
, contain milky sap, produce several unbranched, stem-like flower stalks (peduncle
Peduncle (botany)
In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.The peduncle is a stem, usually green and without leaves, though sometimes colored or supporting small leaves...
s), each flower stalk bearing a single, erect flower head that contains several yellow florets, the flower head maturing into a ball-like seed head of beaked achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
s, each achene with a pappus
Pappus (flower structure)
The pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual disk, ray or ligule floret surrounding the base of the corolla, in flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae. The pappus may be composed of bristles , awns, scales, or may be absent. In some species, the pappus is too small to see...
of numerous, white bristles.
Species
- Agoseris apargioidesAgoseris apargioidesAgoseris apargioides is a species in the Asteraceae or sunflower family, and is commonly called seaside agoseris or seaside false-dandelion. It is native to the west coast of the United States from Washington to California, where it grows primarily on coastal dunes...
- seaside agoseris - Agoseris aurantiacaAgoseris aurantiacaAgoseris aurantiaca is a liguliferous species in the Asteraceae or sunflower family, and is commonly called orange agoseris or mountain dandelion. It is widespread and common in western North America from Alaska and western Canada southward to California, Arizona, and New Mexico...
- orange agoseris - Agoseris coronopifolia - Patagonian agoseris
- Agoseris glaucaAgoseris glaucaAgoseris glauca is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names pale agoseris, prairie agoseris, and short-beaked agoseris. It is native to northern and western North America from Alaska to Ontario to New Mexico, where it grows in many habitat types. This is a...
- prairie agoseris - Agoseris grandifloraAgoseris grandifloraAgoseris grandiflora is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names bigflower agoseris and grassland agoseris. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Utah, where it grows in many habitat types...
- grassland agoseris - Agoseris heterophyllaAgoseris heterophyllaAgoseris heterophylla is a liguliferous species in the Asteraceae or sunflower family known by the common name annual agoseris. It is widespread in mostly drier regions of western North America. This is an annual herb producing a basal rosette of leaves. Often there is no stem, or a short,...
- annual agoseris - Agoseris hirsuta - Coast Range agoseris
- Agoseris monticola - Sierra Nevada agoseris
- Agoseris parviflora - steppe agoseris
- Agoseris retrorsaAgoseris retrorsaAgoseris retrorsa is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name spearleaf agoseris. It is native to western North America from Washington to Utah to Baja California, where it grows in many types of habitat, including chaparral, scrub, and coniferous forest...
- spearleaf agoseris
Hybrids
- Agoseris × agrestis (A. glauca × A. parviflora) - Front Range agoseris
- Agoseris × dasycarpa (A. glauca × A. monticola) - Modoc agoseris
- Agoseris × elata (A. aurantiaca × A. grandiflora) - Willamette agoseris
- Agoseris × montana (A. aurantiaca × A. glauca) - North Park agoseris
Excluded Species
- Agoseris alpestris = Nothocalais alpestrisNothocalais alpestrisNothocalais alpestris is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name alpine lake false dandelion. It is native to the Cascade Range and nearby ranges in the western United States, where it grows in subalpine forest and meadow habitat. It is a perennial herb growing...
- Agoseris barbellulata = Nothocalais alpestrisNothocalais alpestrisNothocalais alpestris is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name alpine lake false dandelion. It is native to the Cascade Range and nearby ranges in the western United States, where it grows in subalpine forest and meadow habitat. It is a perennial herb growing...
- Agoseris cuspidata = Nothocalais cuspidata
Distribution
Agoseris is one of several groups of flowering plants that have a New WorldNew World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
amphitropical distribution (occurring in temperate regions of both North and South America). Most species are found in cordilleran regions of western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, being distributed from the Yukon Territory and Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
southward to Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, and from the Pacific coast eastward to the northern Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
. Disjunct, isolated populations occur on the Gaspe Peninsula
Gaspé Peninsula
The Gaspésie , or Gaspé Peninsula or the Gaspé, is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, extending into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
and Otish Mountains of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, near the Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and on hills near the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
in the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
. One species is native to the southern Andes Mountains of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, southward to Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
, Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of , and a group of smaller islands including Cape...
, and the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
.
External links
- USDA Plants Profile
- Jepson Manual Treatment
- Edibility of Agoseris: Edible parts and how to identify