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blow wives
Scientific Name: Achyrachaena
Family: Asteraceae
Category: Dicot
Growth:
Duration:
Other Names:
Achyrachaena mollis: The Blow-Wives
Achyrachaena mollis, commonly known as blow-wives, is an intriguing annual herb found primarily in California and other regions with similar climates.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Achyrachaena mollis Schauer
- Common Name: Blow-wives
- Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)
- Genus: Achyrachaena (monotypic)
Distribution and Habitat
- Native to California.
- Often found in moist habitats.
- Observed in locations such as the UCI Ecological Reserve in Irvine, Orange County, CA, and Mount Hamilton, CA.
Morphological Characteristics
- An annual herb ranging in height from 5 to 60 cm.
- Features soft-hairy stems.
- Displays both orange-red ray flowers and yellow-red disk flowers.
- Notable for its spherical cluster of seeds with bright, almost shiny, white scales resembling flower petals.
Ecological Role
- Its seeds are dispersed by wind, similar to dandelions.
Quirky Facts
- The plant is named "blow-wives" due to the spherical cluster of seeds with bright, white scales that allow the seeds to fly in the wind like dandelion seeds when blown.
- The fruiting head is more striking than the yellow ray flowers, which turn red.
Further Information
- Discover Life offers a page dedicated to the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of Achyrachaena mollis.
- Images and further information can be found on Wikimedia Commons and CalPhotos.