Harmonia doris-nilesiae
Encyclopedia
Harmonia doris-nilesiae is a species of flowering plant in the aster family
known by the common names serpentine tarweed and Niles' madia.
This plant was first described to science in 1985, when it was named Madia doris-nilesiae after the California botanist and teacher Doris Niles. It and several others were moved to the new genus Harmonia in 1999.
The inflorescence
bears several flower heads
on long, thin peduncles
. Each head has yellow disc florets tipped with yellow anthers and 4 to 8 bright yellow ray florets each a few millimeters long. The fruit is a black achene
with a small pappus
.
of far northern California
, where it grows in serpentine soil
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 names serpentine tarweed and Niles' madia.
This plant was first described to science in 1985, when it was named Madia doris-nilesiae after the California botanist and teacher Doris Niles. It and several others were moved to the new genus Harmonia in 1999.
Description
Harmonia doris-nilesiae is an annual herb growing up to about 26 centimeters tall, its upper branches bristly and glandular. The bristly, toothed leaves are up to 4 centimeters long.The 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...
bears several flower heads
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
on long, thin peduncles
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...
. Each head has yellow disc florets tipped with yellow anthers and 4 to 8 bright yellow ray florets each a few millimeters long. The fruit is a black achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
with a small 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...
.
Distribution
Harmonia doris-nilesiae is endemic to the southern Klamath MountainsKlamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...
of far northern 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 grows in serpentine soil
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
s.