Plant Name
Scientific Name: Thymophylla pentachaeta
Synonym: Dyssodia pentachaeta
Common Names: Fiveneedle Pricklyleaf, Five-needle Pricklyleaf, Dyssodia
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Subshrub, Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert, Upland. These wildflowers are fairly common in open or disturbed areas.
Flower Color: Yellow
Flowering Season: Spring, Summer, Fall
Height: Up to 8 inches (20 cm) tall, but usually less
Description: The flowers are on slender stems above the dense, mounding foliage. The individual flower heads are up to 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) wide and have yellow disks and rays. The leaves are dark green, opposite, and pinnately cleft into 3 to 11, threadlike, spine-tipped lobes. These plants typically grow wider than tall.
Special Characteristics
Butterfly Plant – The flowers attract butterflies.
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: Thymophylla Lag. – pricklyleaf
Species: Thymophylla pentachaeta (DC.) Small – fiveneedle pricklyleaf
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