Amblyopappus pusillus  Hook. & Arn.   Asteraceae  (Sunflower Family)   Native     Coast Weed

                                         June Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Small annual herb, yellow-green, balsamic glandular-granuliferous; stems 1-4 dm. high, leafy, erect, corymbosely but strictly branching above; lvs. entire or the lower pinnately divided into 3-5 lobes; heads numerous,  disciform or minutely radiate, many in a round or flat-topped, leafy cyme; peduncles generally 1-6 mm.; invol. 3-5 mm. high, broadly obconic, 1-2 seriate, ca. equal to the 10-30 inconspicuous yellowish fls.; receptacle short-conic; marginal fls. female; corolla tubular, 2-3 toothed; disk-fls. perfect, fertile; corolla 5-lobed; aks. 1.5-2 mm. long, black, sparsely glandular and hispidulous; pappus-paleae whitish or reddish, 0.5 mm. long.

Habitat:  Coastal bluffs, old dunes, beaches, headlands   below 50 m.; Coastal Strand, Coastal Salt Marsh, Coastal Sage Scrub; L. Calif. to cent. Calif.; Peru, Chile; all the major Channel Ids.

Name:  Greek, amblus, blunt and pappus, pappus.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 109).   Pusillus, very small, weak.  (Jaeger 214).  Refers to the short pappus?

General:  Uncommon in the study area.  Photographed on the lower Castaway's bluffs where it grows down to the line of highest tide or even lower.  One of the native halophytes found in Upper Newport Bay. Found in Big Canyon in 2003. (my comments).    The only species in the genus.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 109).

Text Ref:  Hickman, Ed. 193; Munz, Calif. Flora 1158; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 109; Roberts 8.

Photo Ref:  June 3 83 # 2,3.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by G. Marsh.  

First Found:  June 1983.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 142

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 6/5/04..

                                             June Photo