Plant Image
Flower head
Willow Lake - Sue Smith


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Stephanomeria pauciflora - brownplume wirelettuce

Synonyms: Lygodesmia pauciflora, Ptiloria pauciflora, Stephanomeria cinerea
Other Common Names: desert straw
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Asteraceae


   
 
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Bracts
Willow Lake
Sue Smith
Leaves
Willow Lake
Sue Smith
Plant - summer
Willow Lake
Sue Smith
Plant - summer
Willow Lake
Sue Smith
Seedheads - summer
Willow Lake
Sue Smith
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Perennial   Similar Species: Stephanomeria sp.
General Desc: A perennial with wiry stems and a slightly woody base; the basal leaves are pinnately lobed and stem leaves are bractlike; leaves have tufts of hair at the base; all leaves may be gone by flowering time; flower heads have 4-6 pinkish florets.
Identification notes: 3 to 9 flowered flower heads, brown tinged bristles that are naked toward the base, distinguishes this from other Stephanomeria sp..
Height: To 2 feet

Habitat

Habitat Description: Found along washes, on gravelly bajadas, plains, and arid mesas.
Plant Communities: Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland
Elevation: 600 - 7000 feet

Flower Characteristics

Color: Light purple to pink     Shape: Daisy or dandelion-like not in clusters     Tubular: Y     Flowering Period: Apr - Oct
Description: The flower heads are solitary at branch tips, lavender (light purple) with deep-pink stamens and 3/4 inch wide. The tips of the ray flowers are toothed.

Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Bluish-green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Narrow     Leaf Margin: Lobed     Leaf Attachment: Basal and alternate     Leaves Clasp: Y
Hairs: No     Spines: N
Leaf Description: The narrow, sharply lobed leaves are bluish-green with a whitish midrib. Leaves to 3 inches long at the base of the plant. Sparse, smaller leaves are on the upper stems.

Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Pale brown   
Fruit Type: Achene
Fruit Notes: Fruits have brownish, feathery bristles.

  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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