Coreopsis bigelovii
Encyclopedia
Coreopsis bigelovii is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family
known by the common name Bigelow's tickseed. It is endemic to California
, where it is known from the coastal and inland mountains and the deserts of the southern half of the state. It is widespread in a number of habitat types. This annual herb produces one to many stems with erect, stemlike inflorescence
s 10 to 30 centimeters tall. The leaves are divided into narrow lobes which are sometimes subdivided, and most of the leaves are located at the base of the plant. The many inflorescences bear solitary flower heads
, each with a bulbous involucre of rough phyllaries
. The flower head has a center of many yellow disc florets and a fringe of 5 to 10 ray florets up to 2.5 centimeters long. The fruit is a small achene
. The fruit of the ray floret is rough and bumpy and lacks a pappus
; that of the disc floret is more slender, shiny, edged with hairs, and tipped with a pappus of scales. This plant was eaten as a raw or cooked green vegetable by the Kawaiisu
and Tübatulabal people
s.
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...
known by the common name Bigelow's tickseed. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it is known from the coastal and inland mountains and the deserts of the southern half of the state. It is widespread in a number of habitat types. This annual herb produces one to many stems with erect, stemlike inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s 10 to 30 centimeters tall. The leaves are divided into narrow lobes which are sometimes subdivided, and most of the leaves are located at the base of the plant. The many inflorescences bear solitary flower heads
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
, each with a bulbous involucre of rough phyllaries
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
. The flower head has a center of many yellow disc florets and a fringe of 5 to 10 ray florets up to 2.5 centimeters long. The fruit is a small achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
. The fruit of the ray floret is rough and bumpy and lacks 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...
; that of the disc floret is more slender, shiny, edged with hairs, and tipped with a pappus of scales. This plant was eaten as a raw or cooked green vegetable by the Kawaiisu
Kawaiisu
thumb|Kawaiisu FamilyThe Kawaiisu are a Native American group who lived in the southern California Tehachapi Valley and across the Tehachapi Pass in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains to the north, toward Lake Isabella and Walker Pass...
and Tübatulabal people
Tübatulabal people
The Tübatulabal are Native Americans whose ancestral home was in the Kern River basin, in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California.Their traditional culture was similar to that of the Yokuts, who occupied most the of the southern half of the California's Central Valley. Acorns, piñon...
s.