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Published In: Nomenclator Botanicus [ed. 3] 256. 1797. (Nomencl. Bot. (ed. 3)) Name publication detail
 

Project Name Data (Last Modified On 8/11/2017)
Acceptance : Accepted
Project Data     (Last Modified On 7/9/2009)
Status: Native

 

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1. Elephantopus carolinianus Raeusch. (Carolina elephant’s foot)

Pl. 299 a, b; Map 1260

Plants with a relatively stout, spreading, somewhat rhizomatous rootstock. Stems 1 or less commonly 2 to several, 30–100 cm long, erect or ascending, sometimes from a spreading base, unbranched or branched toward the tip, moderately hairy, but often becoming nearly glabrous toward the tip at flowering. Leaves basal and alternate, sessile or with a short, indistinct petiole, the basal leaves sometimes absent at flowering, somewhat larger than the stem leaves. Stem leaves gradually reduced toward the stem tip, the blade 2–18(–23) cm long, elliptic-obovate to ovate or lanceolate, tapered or narrowed to a bluntly or more commonly sharply pointed tip, usually long-tapered at the base, the margins shallowly scalloped or toothed, rarely nearly entire, the surfaces sparsely to moderately hairy. Inflorescences terminal panicles, the primary heads grouped into dense, headlike clusters at the branch tips, each cluster of 3–20 heads subtended by 3 leaflike bracts, these 1–3 cm long, ovate-triangular, more or less folded lengthwise, overlapping, with cordate bases. Heads sessile or nearly so, with 4 florets. Involucre 6–10 mm long, cylindrical, the bracts in 2 alternating series with the outer series about half as long as the inner one, narrowly elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, somewhat rounded dorsally, sparsely to moderately hairy and with minute, impressed resin glands toward the tip, membranous toward the margins, the central portion green, sometimes purplish-tinged toward the tip, the basal portion often pale or whitened. Pappus of a single series of 5 flattened, narrow, awnlike scales, persistent at fruiting, these 4–5 mm long, tapered to bristlelike tips and gradually broadened toward the base, with minute, ascending barbs. Corollas 7–9 mm long, reddish purple to purple or less commonly white, relatively deeply lobed, 1 of the sinuses between the lobes deeper than the other 4. Fruits (excluding the pappus) 3–4 mm long, narrowly oblong-obtriangular in outline, not flattened, with 8–10 relatively narrow ribs, hairy, light brown to brown. 2n=22. August–October.

Scattered, mostly south of the Missouri River (Pennsylvania to Kansas south to Florida and Texas). Bottomland forests, mesic upland forests, and banks of streams and rivers; also pastures and roadsides.

 


 

 
 
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