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| Acourtia microcephala |
| Family: Asteraceae (Aster) |
| Flowers — color: magenta, size: 1/2", type: daisy (compound) |
The Sacapellote flowerhead contains only disk florets, the ray florets common in Aster family blooms are missing. Each of the several florets has two pink petals and prominent multi-colored sexual parts, about 1/2" wide. The corymb (highly-branched to form disk) flower cluster may contain a hundred buds that bloom during summer.
Habit:
Sacapellote is a perennial herb [no woody stems] and a fire-follower in the chaparral. It flourishes from its root and seeds widely after fire, but doesn't compete well as other plants recover. Heart-shaped furry leaves attach directly to multiple stems reaching three feet or more. It is drought-deciduous, losing leaves in summer and regenerating with the rains. The Chumash simmered the root for coughs, colds, and asthma. I observed this specimen in a clearing in the oak woodland north of Cabrillo HS, but can't find it now.