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| Psilocarphus elatior (Gray) Gray | Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| TAXONOMY | |||||||
| Family: | Asteraceae or Compositae | ||||||
| Genus: | Psilocarphus | ||||||
| Species Synonyms: | none | ||||||
| Common Names: | woolly heads meadow woolly heads |
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| DISTRIBUTION | |||||||
| Canada: | southwestern British Columbia, southeastern Alberta – southwestern Saskatchewan | ||||||
| Saskatchewan: | southwestern Saskatchewan | ||||||
| Ecoregion: | Mixed Grassland | ||||||
| HABITAT | |||||||
| Saskatchewan: | dry slough bottoms | ||||||
| Associated Species: | common pygmyweed, mudwort, navarrettia, needle spikerush, popcorn flower, prairie sage, second rockcress, spike primrose, western wheat grass, willow dock | ||||||
| RARITY STATUS | |||||||
| Provincial
Status According to Harms (2003): |
Endangered |
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| Nature Conservancy Status: | G4Q N2 S1 |
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| Saskatchewan
Species at Risk Status: |
None |
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| COSEWIC Status: | Special Concern |
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| Woolly heads is endangered because it is highly restricted and extremely rare in Saskatchewan. It is usually locally numerous but within limited localized areas. | |||||||
| SPECIES DESCRIPTION | |||||||
| Height: | 1 – 10 cm | ||||||
| Roots: | thin, fibrous | ||||||
| Stems: | branched at base, loosely woolly | ||||||
| Leaves: | opposite, sessile, crowded, 1 – 3.5 cm long, 2 – 6 mm wide, linear to oblong or lance-shaped, tip short-tapered, loosely silky-hairy, especially at base, margin smooth | ||||||
| Inflorescence: | heads small, with disc flowers only, solitary or in terminal clusters or in forks of branches; true bracts absent, upper leaves resembling bracts, woolly; receptacle nearly globular, with bracts | ||||||
| Flowers: | outer florets female, fertile, petals thread-like, enveloped by woolly bract; central flowers few, male, without bracts | ||||||
| Fruits: | achene 1 – 1.7 mm long, cylindrical, brown, smooth, in loose bladder-like bracts; pappus absent | ||||||
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