Status: Native
Synonyms:
Chaptalia alsophila Greene
Gerbera lyrata Schultz-Bipontinus
Leibnitzia seemannii(Schultz-Bipontinus) G.I. Nesom
Leibnitzia lyrata has pink purple flower heads that are solitary on a tall scape. In the spring, the open flower heads
cross fertilize and are found without any leaves on scapes in the understory of the Ponderosa Pine forest. In the autumn when they are found with
basal leaves, the flowers stay closed and self-fertilize. From a distance, the fruiting structures resemble those of a dandelion, though with the broadly beaked capillary bristles not as tightly packed.
Please click on an image for a larger file.
Leibnitzia lyrata, photo Elroy Limmer, Pinos Altos Range, Little Cherry Creek, May 7, 2009
Leibnitzia lyrata, cross-fertilization in the spring, photo Elroy Limmer, Pinos Altos Range, Little Cherry Creek, May 7, 2009
Leibnitzia lyrata, in various stages of achene maturation, photo Russ Kleinman, Pinos Altos Range, Little Cherry Creek, May 15, 2009
Leibnitzia lyrata, lyrate leaf, photo Russ Kleinman & Bob Sivinski, San Francisco Mtns., Johnson Canyon, Aug. 14, 2009
Back to the Index