Rafinesquia
Encyclopedia
Rafinesquia, commonly known as Plumeseed, is a genus
of flowering plant
s in the family Asteraceae
which are native to the west of the United States
and Mexico
.
The genus was named for polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque by botanist Thomas Nuttall
in 1841.
There are only two species in this genus:
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the family Asteraceae
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...
which are native to the west of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
The genus was named for polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque by botanist Thomas Nuttall
Thomas Nuttall
Thomas Nuttall was an English botanist and zoologist, who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841....
in 1841.
There are only two species in this genus:
- Rafinesquia californicaRafinesquia californicaRafinesquia californica is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names California chicory and California plumeseed. It looks like a weedy daisy, bearing heads of elegant white-petaled flowers. The ligules of the flowers are often striped with lavender or pink on the...
Nutt.Thomas NuttallThomas Nuttall was an English botanist and zoologist, who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841....
(California Plumeseed, California Chicory) - Rafinesquia neomexicanaRafinesquia neomexicanaRafinesquia neomexicana is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family. Common names include Desert Chicory, Plumeseed or New Mexico Plumeseed....
A.GrayAsa Gray-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
(New Mexico Plumeseed, Desert Chicory)
External links
- Rafinesquia californica at Calflora
- Rafinesquia neomexicana at Calflora