Psilocarphus brevissimus Nuttall

Dwarf Woolly-Marbles
Asteraceae

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Protologue: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., ser. 2, 7: 340 (1840)
Pronunciation: Psi-lo-cár-phus bre-vís-si-mus
Etymology: Gr. psilos, bare, naked, + karphos, a splinter, twig, chaff, straw, referring to the disk flowers not subtended by chaff (paleae)
+ superlative of brevi, very short

Jepson eFlora Treatment

Jepson eFlora Key to Psilocarphus

SD County Synoptic Voucher


Two varieties in California:
Psilocarphus brevissimus var. brevissimus - Found in San Diego County, western Mexico to western Canada, and South America.
Psilocarphus brevissimus var. multiflorus Cronquist - Found in north-central California only.


Distribution:
 
Left: S.D. County Plant Atlas (http://sdplantatlas.org). Right: CCH2. Click to see current herbarium records.  

Psilocarphus brevissimus var. brevissimus
A very small plant found on margins of vernal pools.



Psilocarphus brevissimus var. brevissimus
Close-up of head.