Agoseris glauca

           
False Dandelion

Achene
Moosomin Regional Park
23-July-2005

According to The Flora of Canada, this specimen is variety agrestis because:  
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plant is over 2.5 dm tall

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leaves are glabrous

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scape is pubescent just below the involucre

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involucre is pubescent

However, according to this flora the involucre bracts should be pinkish in this variety.  In this specimen they are actually green-purplish.

According to Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta, this specimen is variety glauca because:  
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leaves are glabrous and more or less glaucous

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flowers are larger than 3 cm across.

Flora of the Great Plains notes that there are several cordilleran varieties of A. glauca, but it provides neither key nor descriptions for any varieties on the Great Plains.

Budd's Flora describes another species A. grandifloraA glauca is distinguished from the latter by observing that the beak of the achene of A. glauca is less than twice as long as the body.  The achene beak of A. grandiflora is filiform and 2-4 times as long as the body.  Budd's Flora also states that the outer bracts of A. grandiflora are much broader than the inner ones, but the outer bracts of A. glauca are at least somewhat broader than the inner ones.  Flora of Alberta and Flora of the Great Plains do not mention A. grandiflora, although The Flora of Canada does.

Note that the key to the genus in Flora of Alberta requires "involucre of 2 or more series; NOT uniseriate; NOT biseriate", which is logically inconsistent.  In fact, the involucre of this species consists of more than 2 series of bracts.

 
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Glauca: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this species.  
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ligules yellow, often drying pinkish; ligules NOT [burnt orange, often drying purple or pinkish]

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beak of achene stout, up to about half as long as the body; beak NOT [slender, more than half as long as the body]

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beak of achene clearly nerved throughout; NOT [obscurely or scarcely nerved]

 
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Agoseris: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus.
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juice milky; NOT watery

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stem NOT diffusely branched

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plants scapose, leaves all basal; plants NOT [with at least some cauline leaves, though they may be reduced to bracts], leaves NOT [few, cauline, mostly linear or reduced to scales]

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leaves glabrous, or if pubescent, not tomentose; leaves NOT tomentose ciliate

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leaf margins NOT villous-ciliolate

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involucre of 2 or more series; NOT [uniseriate or biseriate]

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bracts of the involucre imbricate in several series; NOT [main bracts of the involucre equal in one series, with shorter spreading bracts forming a second series at their base]

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flower heads solitary on a long stalk; NOT [heads several on a flowering stalk]

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flowers all ligulate

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flowers all perfect

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flowers yellow

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stamens united to form a tube around the pistil

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achenes 5-10 nerved; NOT 4-5 ribbed

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achenes NOT [spinulose or muricate]

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pappus well developed, at least in part of capillary bristles; pappus NOT [of minute scales or none]

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pappus entirely of capillary bristles; pappus NOT [scale-like at the base, with plumose terminal bristles]

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pappus bristles NOT plumose