chicoryleaf wirelettuce

Stephanomeria cichoriacea A.Gray

Stephanomeria cichoriacea is a perennial herb in the Asteraceae family, native to California. It grows in coastal mountain ranges, particularly in southern California, within chaparral habitats. The plant has slender, upright stems up to 100 cm tall, with woolly young stems and leaves. Leaves are lance-shaped, up to 20 cm long, with entire or irregularly toothed margins. The inflorescence consists of multiple flower heads, each with 10-15 pink-tinged ray florets. The fruit is a smooth, grooved achene with a persistent pappus of plumose bristles. Chromosome number is 2n = 16.

Description

Stephanomeria cichoriacea is a perennial herb with stems 40-100 cm tall, often woolly when young and becoming glabrescent. Leaves are green at flowering, with blades 10-20 cm long, oblanceolate to spatulate in shape, and with entire or irregularly toothed margins. Cauline leaves are reduced and similarly toothed. The plant produces single flower heads along branches with cylindrical involucres 12-15 mm long, containing 10-13 florets. The involucral phyllaries are 20-25 in 2-3 series, appressed and puberulent. The fruit is a tan or grayish tan cypsela, 5-6 mm long, with a plumose pappus of 20-25 bristles. It is found in chaparral habitats in California, especially in the Transverse Ranges.