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Asteraceae

Asteraceae
Asteraceae image
  • FNA
  • SW Field Guide
  • Resources
Theodore M. Barkley+, Luc Brouillet, John L. Strother in Flora of North America (vol. 19, 20 and 21)
Annuals, biennials, perennials, subshrubs, shrubs, vines, or trees. Roots usually taproots, sometimes fibrous. Stems usually erect, sometimes prostrate to ascending (underground stems sometimes woody caudices or rhizomes, sometimes fleshy). Leaves usually alternate or opposite, sometimes in basal rosettes, rarely in whorls; rarely stipulate, usually petiolate, sometimes sessile, sometimes with bases decurrent onto stems; blades usually simple (margins sometimes 1-2+ times pinnatifid or palmatifid), rarely compound. Inflorescences indeterminate heads (also called capitula); each head usually comprising a surrounding involucre of phyllaries (involucral bracts), a receptacle, and (1-)5-300+ florets; individual heads sessile or each borne on a peduncle; heads borne singly or in usually determinate, rarely indeterminate, arrays (cymiform, corymbiform, racemiform, spiciform, etc.); involucres sometimes subtended by calyculi (sing. calyculus); phyllaries borne in 1-5(-15+) series proximal to (i.e., outside of or abaxial to) the florets; receptacles usually flat to convex, sometimes conic or columnar, either paleate (bearing paleae or receptacular bracts that individually subtend some or all of the florets) or epaleate (lacking paleae); epaleate receptacles sometimes bristly or hairy or bearing subulate enations among the florets. Florets bisexual, pistillate, functionally staminate, or neuter (also called neutral); sepals highly modifed (instead of ordinary sepals, each ovary usually bears a pappus of bristles, awns, and/or scales, sometimes in combination within a single pappus); petals connate, corollas (3-)5-merous, ± actinomorphic or zygomorphic (one or both kinds in a single head, see descriptions of radiate, discoid, liguliflorous, disciform, and radiant following); stamens (4-)5, alternate with corolla lobes, filaments inserted on corollas, usually distinct, anthers introrse, usually connate and forming tubes around styles (rarely filaments connate and anthers distinct; e.g., Heliantheae, Ambrosiinae); ovaries inferior, 2-carpellate, and 1-locular with 1 basally attached, anatropous ovule; styles 1 in each bisexual, functionally staminate, or pistillate floret; each style usually ringed at base by a nectary, distally 2-branched with stigmatic papillae borne on adaxial face of each branch in 2 separate or contiguous lines or in 1 continuous band (
Desert Research Learning Center, Botany Program

The largest angiosperm family with over 22,000 described species globally, it is also one of the most distinctive in terms of its floral morphology. In North America there are 418 genera and about 2,400 species. Variable growth form, resin canals and/or lactifers often present. Leaves simple or compound, spiral or opposite, exstipulate. Inflorescence one or more heads arranged into various types of secondary inflorescences, each head subtended by phyllaries (bracts), heads of five general types: discoid, disciform, radiate, ligulate, and bilabiate. Flowers perfect, imperfect or sterile, radial or bilateral, of three types: bilabiate, disk, or ray/ligulate. Sepals highly modified, forming pappus composed of 2-many scales or bristles that are variously shaped, often hairy, barbed or plumose. Corolla of 5 connate petals, variously shaped. Stamens 5, usually with connate anthers, plunger pollen presentation, 2 connate carpels, and inferior ovaries with basal placentation. Fruit an achene (cypselae), usually arranged in a multiple fruit.

Species within checklist: Denver-Boulder Metropolitan Area || << 51 - 100 taxa >>
Artemisia annua
Media resource of Artemisia annua
Artemisia arctica
Media resource of Artemisia arctica
Artemisia biennis
Media resource of Artemisia biennis
Artemisia borealis
Media resource of Artemisia borealis
Artemisia campestris
Media resource of Artemisia campestris
Artemisia cana
Media resource of Artemisia cana
Artemisia canadensis
Media resource of Artemisia canadensis
Artemisia carruthii
Media resource of Artemisia carruthii
Artemisia dracunculus
Media resource of Artemisia dracunculus
Artemisia filifolia
Media resource of Artemisia filifolia
Artemisia frigida
Media resource of Artemisia frigida
Artemisia laciniata
Media resource of Artemisia laciniata
Artemisia longifolia
Media resource of Artemisia longifolia
Artemisia ludoviciana
Media resource of Artemisia ludoviciana
Artemisia norvegica
Media resource of Artemisia norvegica
Artemisia pattersoni
Media resource of Artemisia pattersoni
Artemisia pattersonii
Media resource of Artemisia pattersonii
Artemisia scopulorum
Media resource of Artemisia scopulorum
Artemisia tridentata
Media resource of Artemisia tridentata
Artemisia tripartita
Media resource of Artemisia tripartita
Askellia nana
Media resource of Askellia nana
Aster alpinus
Media resource of Aster alpinus
Aster apricus
Media resource of Aster apricus
Aster cusickii
Media resource of Aster cusickii
Aster engelmannii
Media resource of Aster engelmannii
Baccharis havardii
Media resource of Baccharis havardii
Balsamorhiza sagittata
Media resource of Balsamorhiza sagittata
Bellis perennis
Media resource of Bellis perennis
Bidens bigelovii
Media resource of Bidens bigelovii
Bidens cernua
Media resource of Bidens cernua
Bidens frondosa
Media resource of Bidens frondosa
Bidens laevis
Media resource of Bidens laevis
Bidens tenuisecta
Media resource of Bidens tenuisecta
Bidens tripartita
Media resource of Bidens tripartita
Bidens vulgata
Media resource of Bidens vulgata
Bigelowia howardii
Media resource of Bigelowia howardii
Brickellia californica
Media resource of Brickellia californica
Brickellia eupatorioides
Media resource of Brickellia eupatorioides
Brickellia grandiflora
Media resource of Brickellia grandiflora
Brickellia oblongifolia
Media resource of Brickellia oblongifolia
Brickellia rosemarinifolia
Media resource of Brickellia rosemarinifolia
Brickellia rosmarinifolia
Media resource of Brickellia rosmarinifolia
Carduus acanthoides
Media resource of Carduus acanthoides
Carduus nutans
Media resource of Carduus nutans
Carthamus lanatus
Media resource of Carthamus lanatus
Carthamus tinctorius
Media resource of Carthamus tinctorius
Castalis tragus
Media resource of Castalis tragus
Centaurea cyanus
Media resource of Centaurea cyanus
Centaurea diffusa
Media resource of Centaurea diffusa
Centaurea hypoleuca
Media resource of Centaurea hypoleuca
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This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [MG-70-19-0057-19].

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