Nothocalaïs nigrescens

(L. F. Henderson) A. Heller

Muhlenbergia 1: 8. 1900.

Common names: Speckled false dandelion
Basionym: Microseris nigrescens L. F. Henderson Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 27: 348. 1900
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 19. Treatment on page 336. Mentioned on page 335, 337.

Plants 5–35 cm. Stems (peduncles) often with 1–2, leafy bracts near bases. Leaves: blades lanceolate to oblanceolate, 4–20 cm, margins plane, entire, sometimes ciliolate, (apices acute) faces glabrous. Involucres 12–22 mm. Phyllaries 15–50, minutely purple-dotted except on membranous margins, sometimes purple-lined on midribs, broadly lanceolate to ovate, apices acute to acuminate, faces usually glabrous. Florets 13–100; ligules 10–25 mm. Cypselae brown, 6–10 mm, tapered distally, not beaked; pappi of 10–25, narrow, smooth to barbellulate, aristate scales 8–13 mm.


Phenology: Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat: Moist meadows, grassy slopes, and forest openings, juniper-ponderosa pine woodland, mixed conifer forest, and spruce-fir subalpine forest
Elevation: 1500–3000 m

Discussion

Nothocalaïs nigrescens grows in the northern and middle Rocky Mountains. It is generally well separated in habitat and elevation from N. cuspidata and N. troximoides; intermediate populations are sometimes found in areas of contact with the two related taxa. In Montana, apparent hybrids with N. cuspidata have been found in the upper valleys of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers. Intermediates between N. nigrescens and N. troximoides occur rather widely in Idaho, in areas where the sagebrush steppe habitats of the latter species penetrate the coniferous zone. As discussed below, most of the assumed hybrid populations more closely resemble N. troximoides.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Nothocalaïs nigrescens"
Kenton L. Chambers +
(L. F. Henderson) A. Heller +
Microseris nigrescens +
Speckled false dandelion +
Idaho +, Mont. +  and Wyo. +
1500–3000 m +
Moist meadows, grassy slopes, and forest openings, juniper-ponderosa pine woodland, mixed conifer forest, and spruce-fir subalpine forest +
Flowering May–Jul. +
Muhlenbergia +
Undefined tribe Lactuceae +
Nothocalaïs nigrescens +
Nothocalaïs +
species +