Spiny Haplopappus
Lacy Tansy Aster
Xanthisma spinulosum
(Machaeranthera pinnatifida)
Watercolor (© Mike Plagens) from live specimen observed at Camp Creek, Maricopa Co., Arizona, USA on 18 April 1992. A) Dainty Sulfur, Nathalis iole.
FLOWERS: Ray flowers yellow as are the disc flowers. The number and
length of the yellow rays varies considerably as does the finer characteristics
of the foliage. Many varieties have been named as a result.
PERENNIAL: The above ground branches are mostly herbaceous, but the
crown and root stock of older plants may become woody.
RANGE: A common plant above 800 m
elevation throughout the Sonoran Desert with a lot of variation in the leaves,
spininess, and size of flowers.
LEAVES: The leaves normally have prickly teeth along the margins.
ACHENE: The
achene carries a pappus of tan, fine bristles.
The Dainty Sulfur (Nathalis iole), the smallest of the yellow butterflies, is a common associate of this plant because the caterpillars eat the leaves.