Nothocalais cuspidata (Pursh) Greene | Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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TAXONOMY | |||||||||
Family: | Asteraceae or Compositae | ||||||||
Genus: | Nothocalais | ||||||||
Species Synonyms: | Microseris cuspidata (Pursh) Schultz-Bip. Agoseris cuspidata (Pursh) Raf. |
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Common Names: | wavy-leaf prairie dandelion microseris sharppoint microseris sharppoint prairie dandelion |
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DISTRIBUTION | |||||||||
Canada: | southeastern Alberta – southern Saskatchewan – southwestern Manitoba | ||||||||
Saskatchewan: | central Saskatchewan; Big Muddy Valley – Qu’Appelle River | ||||||||
Ecoregion: | Mixed Grassland, Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland | ||||||||
HABITAT | |||||||||
Saskatchewan: | dry, often eroded grassland slopes | ||||||||
Associated species: | broom snakeweed, foothill arnica, hairy false goldenaster, lamb-tongue ragwort, prairie coneflower, prairie onion, Rocky Mountain blazing star, scarlet gaura | ||||||||
RARITY STATUS | |||||||||
Provincial
Status According to Harms (2003): |
Vulnerable |
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Nature Conservancy Status: | G5 N2 S2 |
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Saskatchewan
Species at Risk Status: |
None |
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COSEWIC Status: | None |
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Wavy-leaf prairie dandelion is vulnerable because most of the local populations are small. No immediate threats have been identified. | |||||||||
SPECIES DESCRIPTION | |||||||||
Height: | 10 – 30 cm tall | ||||||||
Roots: | thick taproot | ||||||||
Stems: | leafless, hairy near head, slightly longer than leaves | ||||||||
Leaves: | all basal, sessile, 10 – 30 cm long, to 2 cm wide, linear, tip long tapered, white woolly along margins and on veins, margin entire or wavy | ||||||||
Inflorescence: | heads solitary, ray flowers only; bracts in 2 unequal, weakly overlapping series, 17 – 25 mm high, oval to lance-shaped, brown to purple; receptacle naked | ||||||||
Flowers: | ray flowers fertile, toothed at tips, yellow, drying purple | ||||||||
Fruits: | achenes 8 – 10 mm long, 8 – 10-nerved, beakless; pappus 40 – 80 mixed capillary bristles and long-tapered scales, white | ||||||||
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