September Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Perennial subshrub, suffrutescent, stout, 3-6 dm. high, tomentose throughout including the invols.; principal lvs. broadly oblong, 1-4 cm. long, 5-12 mm. wide; heads few; invols. 7-8 mm. long, ca. 5-seriate; phyllaries with slightly spreading tips; rays fls. showy, 10 mm. long, purple, pink or white; disk, fls. 12-40, corollas, 4-6 mm., tubular, yellow; fr. less than 5 mm.; pappus 3-8 mm., bristles free, red-brown.

Habitat:  Slopes overlooking the coast; Coastal Sage Scrub; Redondo, Los Angeles Co. to Santa Barbara Co.; Anacapa Id.  Below 2600 m. Aug.-Dec.

Name:  See C. filaginifolia var. virgata on the genus and first part of the species name.  Latin, latus, broad, wide.  (Jaeger 137).  Probably referring to the broadly oblong lvs.  Lessingia, in honor of C.F. Lessing, 1809-1862, German specialist in Asteraceae.  (Hickman, Ed. 304).

General:  Common in three populations known in the study area.  The largest population is on the Eastbluff bench and is an equal mixture of var. latifolia and var. virgata.  A small population just below the intersection of Back Bay Dr. and Eastbluff  Dr. appears to be all var. latifolia.  The third population is in Santa Ana Heights and seems to be an equal mixture of var. latifolia and var. virgata. (my comments). Three species in the genus.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 151).       Variety latifolia is now included in Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia. (Hickman Ed. 305).       Fred Roberts in his second edition of a Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Orange County, California  1998, states that “while Lessingia may indeed be a better place for this species, Lane (Novon2:213-214, 1992) does not adequately address traditional subtaxa in southern California, several of which are rare, thus I continue to follow Munz (1974).”  Roberts has continued to list this plant as Corethrogyne and I will modify my list to follow him.  (my comment).

Text Ref:  Abrams, Vol. IV 341; Hickman, Ed. 305, 1327; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 152;  Abrams Vol. IV 341; Roberts 10.

Photo Ref:  Feb. 3 84 # 21,22,E; Sept 95 # 24.  

Identity:  by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.  

First Found:  March 1984.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 308.

Plant sample donated to U.C. Riverside in 2004.

Last edit.  11/28/03.    

                            February Photo                                                             February Photo