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| Stephanomeria virgata ssp. virgata |
| Family: Asteraceae (Aster) |
| Flowers — color: pink, size: 1/4", type: daisy (compound) |
Most Aster family flowers are daisy-like, with petal-like ray florets and a center core of disk florets. Wirelettuce flowers lack any disk florests. Rod Wirelettuce's flower has 5–9 ray florets having both male and female parts [Ligule is a more accurate term than ray floret in this case]. Each petal is pale magenta with darker logitudinal veins. Four notches at the broad tip of the petal appear to align with the veins.
Habit:
Rod Wirelettuce is a tall annual that may reach six feet tall. It begins as a basal rosette of narrow, toothed leaves with a sharp point. The base erects a vertical main stem that will have many wand-like [virgata] branches. These stems are stiff and smooth like wire and carry narrower toothed leaves than the base. Leaves tend to fall away as Rod Wirelettuce blooms. This tangled specimen appears to have been knocked over.
Observations:
Hillside along Burton Mesa Rd. near Clubhouse.