381. Trichoptilium A. Gray in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 97. 1859.
[Greek tricho-, hairlike, and ptilon, feather, alluding to pappus scales]
John L. Strother
Annuals or perennials, 3–20(–30+) cm. Stems erect or ascending, branched from bases or throughout. Leaves basal and cauline; mostly alternate; petiolate; blades oblanceolate to spatulate or ovate, margins usually sharply and coarsely toothed or lobed, faces sparsely floccose to densely woolly, gland-dotted. Heads discoid, borne singly. Involucres hemispheric to campanulate, 6–12 mm diam. Phyllaries persistent, 18–25 in 2+ series (erect or spreading in fruit, distinct, lance-ovate to lanceolate, subequal, thin-herbaceous, loosely woolly, the inner more scarious, less woolly). Receptacles convex to conic, smooth or finely pitted, epaleate. Ray florets 0. Disc florets 30–100+, bisexual, fertile; corollas yellow, sometimes drying pinkish distally (outer sometimes larger and zygomorphic), tubes much shorter than narrowly funnelform throats, lobes 5, ovate to deltate (equal or unequal). Cypselae obpyramidal, glabrous or shaggily hairy; pappi of 5 scarious, deeply lacerate scales (each seemingly constituted of 8–15+ connate bristles). x = 13.
Species 1: sw United States, nw Mexico.
