Description
Santa Cruz tarweed is distinguished by its large number of flowers: 8 to 16 three-lobed outer ray flowers and 40 to 90 central disk flowers, more than any others in its genus. The flowers are situated in dense clusters at the branch tips or along the branch on a very short stem. Its leaves are linear and manifest longer near the plant base. The lower ranging leaves exhibit sharp, short teeth at their edges, while the upper leaves present edges that are rolled back, leading to a bristly feeling. The aroma of the plant has variously been described as strong, citrusy, tangerine and Christmas Tree-like. Alternative common names for this plant are Santa Cruz tarplant, gumwood, gum plant, and rosinwood. In any case, the pungent smell protects it by repelling many would-be feeders.
The Santa Cruz tarweed has an extremely long tap root, allowing it to thrive longer into the season than most coastal wildflowers. The plant produces seedbanks, which may not germinate in the next season, but which can remain viable over a period of years. Blooming season is summer, when there is less competition for pollinators and also less competition for sunlight, since in its range many plants have died back from the summer drought. Further protection from the rainless summer is a resinous coating on leaves and stems, allowing retention of water until late in the season. These resins often adhere to livestock, and, in the case of facial adherence, lead to a mascara-like effect after dust adheres to the resin in turn.
Read more about this topic: Holocarpha Macradenia
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