Corethrogyne filaginifolia var. virgata (Benth.) A.Gray

=Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia (Hook & Arn.) M.A. Lane

Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Native

Common Corethrogyne   

Virgate Cudweed Aster 

California Aster   

 

                                        August Photo                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Plant Characteristics: Perennial herb, suffrutescent or herbaceous, slender, erect or ascending, 4-12 dm. high, +/- gray- or white-tomentose below, becoming green and short-stipitate-glandular above; mostly paniculately few- to several-branched above, 2-8 dm. high; herbage with +/- tardily deciduous tomentum; lvs. lanceolate to oblanceolate, or spatulate, often sharply serrate above, 2-8 cm. long, the upper reduced and sessile; infl. a diffuse panicle; invol. 5-8 mm. high, turbinate to broadly campanulate, the phyllaries sometimes squarrose; tomentum not extending up to invol., but upper parts glandular.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Habitat:  Open or brushy places below 2000 ft.; Coastal Strand, Coastal Sage Scrub, S. Oak Wd.; Catalina Id.; along the coast and outer Coast Ranges, L. Calif. to cent Calif.  July-Oct.

 

Name:  Greek, korethron, a brush for sweeping, and gune, style from the brush like style appendages.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 151).  Latin, filum, a thread and folium, leaf.  (Jaeger 103,104).  Possibly referring to the narrow leaves.  Latin, virgatus, shrubby.  (Jaeger 281).  Probably referring to the narrow, strict, wand like stems of our local variety.  (John Johnson).  C.F. Lessing, 1809-1862, German specialist in Asteraceae.  (Hickman, Ed. 304).

 

General:  Common on the Eastbluff bench and a Santa Ana Heights population has several specimens, uncommon elsewhere in the study area. Photographed in Santa Ana Heights.  I have observed the deciduous tomentum on this variety and it seems that it occurs after anthesis.  Some plants are without tomentum only in the inflorescence; others are without tomentum nearly to the ground.   Those plants that are tomentose when the flowers go to seed do not lose their tomentum and hence are var. latifolia.  (my comments).         Delfina Cuero, a Kumeyaay or Southern Diegueno Indian, made the following comment about Corethrogyne filaginifolia in her autobiography:  "Boil the purple flowers then boil and drink tea for aching chest."  (Shipek 88).      Three species in the genus.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 151).      Variety virgata is included in Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia.  (Hickman, Ed. 305).       See C. filaginifolia var. latifolia on the reason for changing the name back to Corethrogyne from Lessingia. (my comment).

 

Text Ref:  Dale 60; Hickman, Ed. 305; Munz, Calif. Flora 1205; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 151; Roberts 10.

Photo Ref:  Aug-Sept 87 # 2,4.

Identity: by Walt Wright.

 

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 162.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 9/25/00.

 

                                                  August Photo