Stylocline gnaphaloides
Encyclopedia
Stylocline gnaphaloides (often misspelled S. gnaphalioides) is a species of flowering plant in the aster family
known by the common names everlasting neststraw and mountain neststraw. It is native to southern California
and Arizona
in the southwestern United States, and adjacent Baja California
and Sonora
in Mexico, where it can be found in many types of habitat, becoming common in some areas. It is a small annual herb growing at ground level and reaching just a few centimeters in length. It is usually coated in white hairs, often woolly. The small, blunt leaves are alternately arranged, each up to 1.4 centimeters long. The inflorescence
bears spherical flower heads
each a few millimeters in diameter. The head has 2 to 4 white-haired phyllaries
and tiny woolly white flowers.
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 everlasting neststraw and mountain neststraw. It is native to southern 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...
and 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...
in the southwestern United States, and adjacent 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...
and Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
in Mexico, where it can be found in many types of habitat, becoming common in some areas. It is a small annual herb growing at ground level and reaching just a few centimeters in length. It is usually coated in white hairs, often woolly. The small, blunt leaves are alternately arranged, each up to 1.4 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 spherical 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 a few millimeters in diameter. The head has 2 to 4 white-haired 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...
and tiny woolly white flowers.