Plant Name
Scientific Name: Heliomeris longifolia
Synonyms: Viguiera annua, V. longifolia
Common Name: Longleaf False Goldeneye
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Annual
Growth Habit: Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert, Upland, Mountain
Flower Color: Yellow disks and rays
Flowering Season: Summer, Fall
Height: To 3 1/2 feet (1 m) tall
Description: The flower heads are 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) across and usually have 12 rays. The leaves have rolled under margins and are shiny, rough, dark green, narrowly linear to lanceolate, and both alternate and opposite. The leaves are rather sparse on the plants. The stems are reddish and hairy.
Viguiera longifolia (larger flowers and wider leaves) and Viguiera annua (smaller flowers and narrower leaves) are both now considered to be varieties of Heliomeris longifolia.
Special Characteristics
Poisonous – The plants are poisonous and can sicken cattle that graze on them.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae – Aster family
Genus: Heliomeris Nutt. – false goldeneye
Species: Heliomeris longifolia (B.L. Rob. & Greenm.) Cockerell – longleaf false goldeneye
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