Brittlebush, Encelia farinosa

Anza Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego County, CA.1/25/13. © Peter J. Bryant	Brittlebush Encelia farinosa Note: This species hybridizes with Encelia californica. See page on species comparison and hybrids. Back to Asteraceae of Orange County, California Back to Plants of Orange County, California Back to Natural History of Orange County, California
OC Great Park, extreme E, nr Borrego Wash, 2-3-10. © Ron Vanderhoff.
Disc florets: An early stage disc floret is a vertical tube consisting of five fused anthers surrounding the style and producing pollen on the inside of the tube.
Anza Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego County, CA.1/25/13. © Peter J. Bryant	Anza Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego County, CA.1/25/13. © Peter J. Bryant
As the floret matures towards the edge of the disc the two-branched stigma emerges from the top of the anther tube and in the process collects pollen on the brushes under each branch. The pollen does not germinate on the stigma because of self-incompatibility, but its location on the stigma facilitates collection by insect pollinators.
Anza Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego County, CA.1/25/13. © Peter J. Bryant	Anza Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego County, CA.1/25/13. © Peter J. Bryant
Anza Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego County, CA.1/25/13. © Peter J. Bryant	Anza Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego County, CA.1/25/13. © Peter J. Bryant