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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Arrow-weed
Pluchea sericea (Nutt.) Coville

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Composite (Compositae)
March-December
Field Marks: This is a willow-like shrub that has purple flower heads consisting only of disk flowers. The leaves are linear-lanceolate to lanceolate.
Habitat: Along waterways, often in the desert.
Habit: Willow-like shrub up to 15 feet tall.
Stems: Slender, smooth, grayish.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, leathery, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, up to 2 inches long, up to 1/3 inch wide, pointed at the tip, tapering to the base, silvery-silky hairy, without teeth, with 1 vein.
Flowers: Crowded into heads, each head consisting only of purple disk flowers; bracts subtending each head ovate to lanceolate, leathery, up to 1/3 inch long.
Sepals: 0.
Petals: 5, united to form purple disk flowers.
Stamens: 5.
Pistils: Ovary inferior, smooth.
Fruits: Achenes smooth, with a tuft of soft bristles at the tip, each bristle somewhat swollen at the tip.

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URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/florawe/species/8/plucseri.htm
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Page Last Modified: Saturday, 02-Feb-2013 06:28:18 EST
Menlo Park, CA [caww55]