California Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia aka Lessingia filaginifolia, Asteraceae)
Here are new autumn flowers of California Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia aka Lessingia filaginifolia) in the (Asteraceae) plant family growing along the highway in the Santa Ynez Valley. This is another plant that is growing in a place that was mowed last spring, so all the growth must have been since then. (Also see my [Previous] 4 photos.) This seems a pretty specialized environment. Plants must be perennial, and late sprouting or able to be decapitated early in the growing season. (Santa Ynez Valley, 25 September 2014)
We have the same species in the mountains, but the plants look different. There used to be many subspecies, but the new Jepson Manual has consolidated them all into one taxon. That makes things easier! Here's what they say:
"Some local populations and regional population systems of corethrogynes present distinct general appearances and the plants have been partitioned into 3 to 7 or more species with various numbers of infraspecific taxa (33 basionyms have been linked to the name Corethrogyne). Lane (1992) referred the plants to a single sp. with 2 varieties within Lessingia, and Saroyan et al. (2000) treated them as a single sp. with two varieties within Corethrogyne. Here, the consolidation is taken one step further and a single, polymorphic sp. with no infraspecific taxa is recognized."
Did you notice the little "true bug" nymph under the flower on the left? Neither than I until I got the photo home and up on my computer screen.
California Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia aka Lessingia filaginifolia, Asteraceae)
Here are new autumn flowers of California Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia aka Lessingia filaginifolia) in the (Asteraceae) plant family growing along the highway in the Santa Ynez Valley. This is another plant that is growing in a place that was mowed last spring, so all the growth must have been since then. (Also see my [Previous] 4 photos.) This seems a pretty specialized environment. Plants must be perennial, and late sprouting or able to be decapitated early in the growing season. (Santa Ynez Valley, 25 September 2014)
We have the same species in the mountains, but the plants look different. There used to be many subspecies, but the new Jepson Manual has consolidated them all into one taxon. That makes things easier! Here's what they say:
"Some local populations and regional population systems of corethrogynes present distinct general appearances and the plants have been partitioned into 3 to 7 or more species with various numbers of infraspecific taxa (33 basionyms have been linked to the name Corethrogyne). Lane (1992) referred the plants to a single sp. with 2 varieties within Lessingia, and Saroyan et al. (2000) treated them as a single sp. with two varieties within Corethrogyne. Here, the consolidation is taken one step further and a single, polymorphic sp. with no infraspecific taxa is recognized."
Did you notice the little "true bug" nymph under the flower on the left? Neither than I until I got the photo home and up on my computer screen.