FNA 2006, Kearney and Peebles 1969, McDougall 1973

Duration: Annual Nativity: Non-Native Lifeform: Forb/Herb General: Herbaceous annuals, low-growing. Leaves: Opposite, entire to pinnatifid. Flowers: Heads small, radiate, rays yellow, inconspicuous, usually not more than 2 mm long, pistillate, disk flowers perfect, involucres 2-6 mm wide, receptacles bracteate, phyllaries herbaceous, 4-5. Fruits: Achenes obovate-oblong, not hooked or beaked at the apex. Pappus absent. Ecology: Found in openings in pine forests, from 4,000-5,500 ft (1219-1676 m); flowering August-September. Distribution: Mexico. Records in Arizona are likely misidentifications of M. strigosum. See http://floranorthamerica.org/Melampodium_strigosum. Notes: A good identifier for this species is the achenes which are not hooked or beaked at the apex. Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Melampodium comes from Melampus, a soothsayer of renown in Greek mythology, while sericeum means silky. Synonyms: Melampodium hispidum, Melampodium sericeum var. brevipes, Melampodium sericeum var. exappendiculatum Editor: LCrumbacher 2011; SCarnahan 2023