Townsendia hookeri | |
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A blooming mat of Townsendia hookeri growing on a gravel slope | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Asterales |
Family: | Asteraceae |
Genus: | Townsendia |
Species: | T. hookeri |
Binomial name | |
Townsendia hookeri Beaman | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Townsendia hookeri is a perennial, flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is often referred to by the common names Easter daisy or Hooker's Townsend daisy. [2] Named after 19th century botanist William Jackson Hooker, T. hookeri shares the genus Townsendia with at least 28 other species at this time.
The more noticeable morphological features of T. hookeri include the growth of linear, strigose leaves, and the early-spring formation of sessile or "stemless" flowers [3] which are most often cream to faintly pink. With maturity, the plant can become mat-forming. Although members of the genus Townsendia can be notoriously challenging to key, there are a few tell-tale features that distinguish T. hookeri from its look-a-like T. exscapa. The bracts of T. hookeri terminate in tiny tufts of hair, whereas the bracts of T. exscapa do not. Additionally, the disk pappus of T. hookeri just barely extends beyond the disk petals, while in the case of T. exscapa, the disk pappus greatly exceeds the petals. [4] A hand lens is often needed to accurately key these species.
Townsendia hookeri is native to North America, primarily along the Rocky Mountain corridor. Within the United States, its known native range includes the states: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Utah. It can also be found in the Canadian provinces Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. [5]
Townsendia hookeri is most commonly found growing on well-draining talus slopes, gravel, and exposures, including disturbances such as road cuts. [6]
The family Asteraceae, with the original name Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae were first described in the year 1740. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger family is unclear as the quantity of extant species in each family is unknown.
Sir William Jackson Hooker was an English botanist and botanical illustrator, who became the first director of Kew when in 1841 it was recommended to be placed under state ownership as a botanic garden. At Kew he founded the Herbarium and enlarged the gardens and arboretum. The standard author abbreviation Hook. is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.
Leucanthemum vulgare, commonly known as the ox-eye daisy, oxeye daisy, dog daisy, marguerite and other common names, is a widespread flowering plant native to Europe and the temperate regions of Asia, and an introduced plant to North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Gerbera L. is a genus of plants in the Asteraceae (Compositae) family. The first scientific description of a Gerbera was made by J. D. Hooker in Curtis's Botanical Magazine in 1889 when he described Gerbera jamesonii, a South African species also known as Transvaal daisy or Barberton daisy. Gerbera is also commonly known as the African daisy.
Cornus canadensis is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae, native to eastern Asia and North America. Common names include Canadian dwarf cornel, Canadian bunchberry, quatre-temps, crackerberry, and creeping dogwood. Unlike its relatives, which are for the most part substantial trees and shrubs, C. canadensis is a creeping, rhizomatous perennial growing to about 20 centimetres tall.
Salvia arizonica is a species of sage known commonly as desert indigo sage and Arizona sage. It can be distinguished from its relatives by its triangular, serrated leaves. It blooms copiously in small blue flowers. This is a vigorous sage which propagates via underground spreading runners and seeds. It is native to Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. It is frequently found at higher elevations.
Townsendia is a genus of North American plants in the tribe Astereae within the family Asteraceae.
Delphinium hansenii is a species of larkspur known by the common names Eldorado larkspur and Hansen's delphinium. It is endemic to California, where it grows in mountains, valleys, and desert from the southern Cascade Range to the Mojave Desert.
Anoda cristata is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by many common names, including spurred anoda, crested anoda, and violettas. It is native to North and South America. It is known throughout the rest of the Americas as well as Australia as an introduced species and often a noxious weed. It has been found as a weed in Belgium. Naturally, it is often found near streams, in moist meadows, and in disturbed areas.
Chaenactis douglasii is a North American species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name Douglas' dustymaiden.
Chorizanthe watsonii is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name Fivetooth Spineflower or Watson's Spineflower. They are an annual herb native to the western United States including Idaho, California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Washington and Arizona, namely the Mojave Desert which runs through many of them.
Townsendia leptotes is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names common Townsend daisy and slender townsendia. It is native to the western United States, where it grows in the alpine climates of high mountain ranges from California to Montana to New Mexico.
Lepidium barnebyanum is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Barneby's pepperweed, Barneby's pepper-grass, and Barneby's ridge-cress. It is endemic to Utah, where there is a single population in Duchesne County. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
Helianthus decapetalus, known by the common names thinleaf sunflower and thin-leaved sunflower, is a perennial forb in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Eastern and Central United States and Canada, from New Brunswick west to Iowa, Wisconsin, and Ontario, south as far as Georgia and Louisiana. It produces yellow composite flowers in late summer or early fall.
Platanthera hookeri, otherwise known as Hooker's orchid or Hooker's bog orchid, is a perennial wildflower in the genus Platanthera that can be found in temperate regions of North America ranging from Iowa to Newfoundland.
Vaccinium formosum, with common names highbush blueberry, southern blueberry, southern highbush blueberry, and swamp highbush blueberry, is a species of blueberry that is native to the Southeastern United States.
Dyssodia papposa is a species of annual herbaceous forb in the genus Dyssodia, commonly known as fetid marigold or prairie dogweed. It is native to North America and parts of the Southwest, extending into the Northeast. The plant has been used by Native Americans to treat multiple medical conditions.
David Townsend was an American banker, botanist, and civic leader from Chester County, Pennsylvania. He was a lifelong friend and business associate of noted botanist William Darlington and was a founder and chief cashier of the National Bank of Chester County. The plant genus Townsendia was named in his honor.
Townsendia florifera is a low growing herbaceous flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, with the common name showy Townsendia.