Goldenhead
Acamptopappus sphaerocephalus
RANGE:The Upland Sonoran Desert and transition to chaparral and Mojave Desert habitat
northwest from Phoenix, Arizona. Ranges into Nevada and California.
SHRUB: This plant is usually less than 1½ meters tall and the stems are
slightly woody.
LEAVES: Small, elyptic and alternate.
ACHENES: The somewhat flattened achenes (single seed inside a hull - e.g. sunflower seed) have
a tubercled texture and a series of fine bristles at apex (enlarged view
shown at upper right).
PHYLLARIES: (The bracts forming the composite head.) Several series of
shorter to longer bracts.
FLOWERS: Five-poined yellow flowers are borne in composite heads of 10
to 20. There are no ray florets.
UNARMED.
The caterpillar of a small moth may be found inhabiting galls at the growing tips. At first these galls may appear to be some sort of fruit or seed capsule. An example of these galls is shown at lower right.
Like many desert shrubs, goldenhead often shows the scars of battle against drought in the form of twigs and branches that have repeatedly died back and regrown.