Plant Guide: Hoary tansyaster (Machaeranthera canescens)

Derek Tilley; Dan Ogle; Loren St. John

Treesearch

Plant Guide: Hoary tansyaster (Machaeranthera canescens)

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Derek Tilley, Dan Ogle, Loren St. John

Year:

2014

Type:

Miscellaneous

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Source:

Aberdeen, ID: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Aberdeen Plant Materials Center. 4 p.

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Download (PDF 292 KB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/49651.pdf

Abstract

Sunflower family (Asteraceae). Hoary tansyaster is a short-lived perennial forb with pale to dark purple flowers. Plants are 15 to 75 cm (6 to 30 in) tall with diffuse branching. Leaves are about 5 cm (2 in) long and 6 mm (0.25 in) wide, oblong or lance shaped with entire to sharply toothed margin. Flower heads have many subtending bracts that reflex away from the flower at the tip (Welsh et al., 2003). Flower heads and vegetation are very sticky and heavily scented. Bracts are white and membranous at the bottom and green at the tip. The pappus of the achene is dirty white and hair-like. There are approximately 1.3 million seeds/lb based on seed counts conducted by Aberdeen Plant Materials Center (Tilley and St. John, 2010).

Keywords

restoration, reclamation, pollinators, wildlife habitat, sage grouse, rangeland, range, perennial forb

Citation

Tilley, Derek; Ogle, Dan; St. John, Loren. 2014. Plant Guide: Hoary tansyaster (Machaeranthera canescens). Aberdeen, ID: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Aberdeen Plant Materials Center. 4 p.