Krigia (small, yellow dandelion-like flowers) ID guide--in progress
I've started working on an ID guide for Texas Krigia. It's a work in progress as I'm not sure about some of the supposedly identifying characteristics in the literature. I need good pics and some opinions from other people.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15s7i1EBkSZFCJFcI_p2yccDCY2eRi1XGosLAhZEAH6w/edit?usp=sharing
Krigia are small, yellow dandelion-like flowers that bloom and fruit during late March-April in Texas.
Must have photos of:
- Entire plant, showing where flowering stems emerge from (the base or a branch)
- Fruiting head: viewed from top, side, and bottom
- Fruit (may need to dissect if it's not open)
Comments
@bosqueaaron, @rymcdaniel, @jim_keesling, @gcwarbler
@amzapp, @annikaml, @bacchusrock, @baxter-slye, @bosqueaaron, @brentano, @butterflies4fun, @cameralenswrangler, @centratex, @chasingchickens, @currenfrasch, @connlindajo, @dillon_kyle, @eaneubauer, @elytrid, @franpfer, @gcwarbler, @gwaithir, @ldennis, @immortalwhat, @inhat83, @isaaceastland, @jcochran706, @jeff_back, @jeffmci9, @jgw_atx, @joshua_tx, @k8thegr8, @knightericm, @kimberlietx, @lorimalloy, @lovebirder, @lulubelle, @mammelton50, @megachile, @mpintar, @mikef451, @nanofishology, @nathantaylor, @oddfitz, @observerjosh, @pynklynx, @prairie_rambler, @rkostecke, @reidhardin, @rymcdaniel, @sagaciousoctopus, @sambiology, @tadamcochran, @wildcarrot
@dan_johnson, What's your opinion of the differences between Krigia wrightii and K. cespitosa? I'm not yet seeing the referred to distinguishing traits (in eFlora). It says both wrightii and cespitosa can lack pappus--leaving keeled midveins as the only remaining character (and I can't see the keels).
I'm definitely not an expert on these, even though I'm apparently the leading observer of K. wrightii. I think the key difference between cespitosa and wrightii for the ones I've seen, is that the wrightii all have scales, whereas cespitosa don't.
Most of us have trouble quickly identifying these in the field, because some of the main characters (cypselae shape and areole width) are mostly evident under 10-30x magnification. So I've been looking for candidates that have phyllaries with the midveins raised and curving under at the base, then checking pappi. All of the good wrightii specimens I've confirmed with vouchers have pappi of minute scales that are about 0.1 mm long.
I used to think that K. wrightii plants were smaller than K. cespitosa, and they had more elongated leaves. But here's a large, confirmed specimen with a scaled pappus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/67601967. The fifth photo in that observation shows the prominent, keeled midvein that curves inward. You can see that feature under 10x magnification in the field, but it is tough to show in iNaturalist photos because the wrong lighting hides the keels.
I don't think I can help with this one. They don't grow around ICR.
I probably only have a handful of photos of this genus as I have not seen it often or from eye level it is easy to mistake for other Asteraceae. I 'll look in my photo collection when I get the chance (busy week), but so far I think I only have photos of K. cespitosa and K. occidentalis. Looking at the FNA key, I may not have paid sufficient attention to the phyllaries when in fruit though.
Add a Comment