Ainsliaea latifolia (D.Don) Sch.Bip.

Family Description

Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, sometimes shrubs, rarely trees, tissues sometimes containing milky sap, glabrous, pubescent, tomentose, spinous or variously sessile- or stipitate-glandular. Leaves alternate or sometimes opposite, exstipulate (but sometimes with stipuliform appendages), entire, toothed, lobed or variously dissected. Individual flowers usually numerous, aggregated and ± sessile (briefly immersed to very shortly stipitate) on a common receptacle and surrunded by an involucre of 1-many series of phyllaries (involucral bracts),the whole comprising a capitulum; phyllaries free, rarely connate; capitula solitary to very many, rarely agreegrated into secondary capitulum-like glomerules.Receptable sometimes bearing paleae (scales), hairs or bristles.Flowers (florets)epigynous, bisexual, female, m ale(at least functionally so) or neuter (sterile). Calyx absent, often replaced on apex of ovary by a pappus of 1 or more series of bristles and / orscales. Corolla gamopetalous, tabular throughout or dilated or 1(-2)-lipped above,variously truncate or 1-5-toothed at apex (appices); rarely corolla absent. Stamens (1-)5, epipetalous, filaments free anthers laterally connate into a cylinder around style (free in one species). Ovary inferior, 1-celled with one basal ovule; style usually divided above into two branches, sometimes entire on male flowers, emerging through anther cylinder, first collecting and exposing pollen,later exposing stigmatic surfaces if bisexual. Fruit an achene (cypsela) usually bearing a persistent or deciduous pappus; pappus sessile or borne on a beak(rostrum).

Genus Description

Subscapose perennial herbs.Leaves simple,alternate mostly radical.Two distinct flowerings each year:in spring with fully developed flowers,in autumn usually with cleistogamous flowers.Inflorescence narrowly paniculate,often spike-like.Capitula small,subsessile, ± cernuous,borne singly or in small fasicles,discoid.Involucres cylindrical;phyllaries several-seriate,imbricate,after flowering becoming hardened and spreading. Flowers 3-4, bisexual.Corolla limb deeply cut into 5 ± equal lobes.Anther bases caudate.Style branches very short,rounded. Achenes narrowly obovoid,slightly compressed, ribbed,densely silky pubescent; pappus plumose,brownish ,rarely almost absent.

Species description

plant 6-120cm; stems sparsely araneous.Leaf blade ovate or elliptic,2-11 x 1.2-5.5cm,acute,rounded to tapering at base,weakly crenate,often with linear denticles,sparsely pubescent on both surfaces or araneous beneath; petiloe winged throughout or rarely on outer half only,up to 11cm,0.3-2.2cm wide at apex; sometimes smaller elliptic cauline leaves present. Autumn flowering entirely cleistogamous.Phyllaries ovate to linear-lanceolate,1-11 x 1-2mm,acute or acuminate,margins scarious.Fully developed corollas white or purplish,tube(3-)5-5.5(-7.5)mm,limb 6-9mm; cleistogamous corollas cylindric,c 4mm. Achenes c 5.5mm;pappus 7-8mm,rarely much reduced(c 0.5mm).