Plant Name
Scientific Name: Lasianthaea podocephala
Synonyms: Verbesina podocephala, Zexmenia podocephala
Common Name: San Pedro Daisy
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Upland, Mountain. This attractive wildflower grows in sunny to shady locations in rocky canyons, on slopes, in grassy areas, and in oak woodlands at low to middle elevations in the mountains.
Flower Color: Yellow
Flowering Season: Summer, Fall
Height: Up to 1 foot (60 cm) tall or more
Description: The flower heads have long flower stalks, large, broad, green, hairy phyllaries, bright yellow, elliptical, longitudinally-creased, shallowly-notched rays, and golden yellow disk flowers that are green before opening, giving the young flower heads the appearance of green-eyed daisies. The leaves are green, scabrous (rough-feeling), hispid-hairy (especially below and along the margins), opposite, lance-shaped, and very short petiolate (sessile-appearing). The stems are erect, branched, hispid-hairy, and green to brown in color. The plants have multiple tuberous roots that have been used in traditional herbal medicine.
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: Lasianthaea DC. – lasianthaea
Species: Lasianthaea podocephala (A. Gray) K. Becker – San Pedro daisy
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