Carphochaete is a genus of North American flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.[1][2] They are native to Mexico and the southwestern United States.[3] They are known commonly as bristleheads.[4]

Carphochaete
Carphochaete bigelovii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribe: Eupatorieae
Genus: Carphochaete
A.Gray
Type species
Carphochaete wislizeni

These are branching shrubs and subshrubs usually growing 20 to 45 centimeters tall, but known to well exceed one meter at times. The leaves have glandular pits. They are usually opposite but are sometimes arranged alternately. The flower heads are solitary or paired, or occasionally in arrays of several. They are just a few millimeters wide and usually contain 3 or 4 white, pink, or purple funnel-shaped disc florets, sometimes more. The hairy, ribbed cypsela is tipped with a pappus of long scales.[3]

Classification

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Carphochaete is in the tribe Eupatorieae of the family Asteraceae. Like other members of this tribe, the flower heads have disc florets and no ray florets. Some authors include the genus Cronquistia in Carphochaete.[5]

Species[6][7]
formerly included[6]
  • Carphochaete macrocephala (Paray) Grashoff ex B.L.Turner & K.M.Kerr, Synonym of Revealia macrocephala (Paray) R.M.King & H.Rob.
  • Carphochaete pringlei (S.Watson) Grashoff ex B.L.Turner, Synonym of Cronquistia pringlei (S.Watson) R.M.King

References

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  1. ^ Gray, Asa. 1849. Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Science, new series 4(1): 65 descriptions in Latin, commentary in English
  2. ^ Tropicos, Carphochaete A. Gray
  3. ^ a b Carphochaete. Flora of North America.
  4. ^ Carphochaete. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
  5. ^ Watanabe, K., et al. (2007). Chromosome numbers and karyotypes in Asteraceae. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 94(3), 643-54.
  6. ^ a b Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist
  7. ^ Carphochaete. The Plant List.
  8. ^ Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution map