Microseris lindleyi – Lindley's Silverpuffs

Microseris lindleyi - Lindley's Silverpuffs, Silver Puffs, Starpoint

Microseris lindleyi - Lindley's Silverpuffs, Silver Puffs, Starpoint

Plant Name

Scientific Name: Microseris lindleyi

Synonyms: Microseris linearifolia, Uropappus lindleyi, U. linearifolius

Common Names: Lindley's Silverpuffs, Silver Puffs, Starpoint

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual

Growth Habit: Herb/Forb

Arizona Native Status: Native

Habitat: Desert, Upland

Flower Color: Yellow

Flowering Season: Spring

Height: To 1 foot (30 cm) tall

Description: The single flower heads are at the tip of long, slender, green stems. The individual flower heads have yellow, square-tipped, toothed rays and pointed, green bracts that extend beyond the rays to create radiating, star-like points. The flowers are followed by silvery white, spherical seed heads. The leaves are green, basal, and narrowly linear to slightly pinnately lobed.

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: Microseris D. Don – silverpuffs
Species: Microseris lindleyi (DC.) A. Gray – Lindley's silverpuffs

More About This Plant

Arizona County Distribution Map