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Perennial from woody taproot.
Stem: 1–many, decumbent to erect, generally red-tinged.
Leaf: basal and cauline, alternate, entire, toothed, or sharply lobed, glabrous to tomentose or glandular; basal petioled; cauline generally clasping, ± reduced.
Inflorescence: heads generally radiate, 1–30+; involucre hemispheric to bell-shaped; phyllaries ± equal or ± graduated in 2–6 series, herbaceous; receptacle flat to weakly convex, epaleate.
Ray flower: 10–80; corolla 2–35 mm, ray adaxially yellow, abaxially yellow to orange or red.
Disk flower: 20–100+; corolla 5–15 mm, cylindric to funnel-shaped, yellow.
Fruit: 3–4-angled, generally hairy; pappus bristles 15–60, generally rigid, unequal.
± 15 species: w North America. (Greek: ± red hair, describing pappus) [Bogler 2006 FNANM 20:413–424]
Unabridged references: [Mayes 1976 Ph.D. Dissertation, Univ of Texas, Austin]

Key to Pyrrocoma

1. Ray flowers obscure, often << disk flowers (heads ± disciform); involucre subtended by leafy bracts ..... P. carthamoides var. cusickii

1' Ray flowers conspicuous, >> disk flowers; involucre not subtended by leafy bracts

2. Plant glandular

3. Glands sessile; plant glabrous; heads crowded in spike-like clusters ..... P. lucida

3' Glands stalked; plant proximally generally hairy and red-tinged; heads in raceme- or panicle-like clusters

4. Heads in panicle-like clusters; plant sometimes becoming proximally glabrous ..... P. lanceolata var. subviscosa

4' Heads in raceme-like clusters; plant proximally tomentose ..... P. hirta

5. Plant densely glandular; phyllaries ± equal, barely overlapping, herbaceous nearly to base ..... var. hirta

5' Plant sparsely glandular; phyllaries unequal, much overlapping, herbaceous only at tip ..... var. lanulosa

2' Plant glandless

6. Head generally 1(4)

7. Phyllaries ± oblong to oblanceolate, graduated in 3–4 series, glabrous; fruit glabrous ..... P. apargioides

7' Phyllaries ± linear, in 2–3 series, barely or not overlapping, generally tomentose to woolly; fruit silky ..... P. uniflora

8. Herbage tufted-woolly; involucre 10–13 mm; phyllaries unequal ..... var. gossypina

8' Herbage tomentose, becoming glabrous; involucre 6–9 mm; phyllaries equal ..... var. uniflora

6' Heads (1)3–25(50)

9. Heads in ± flat-topped to panicle-like clusters

10. Lvs minutely spiny-serrate ..... P. lanceolata var. lanceolata

10' Lvs entire or minutely dentate ..... P. racemosa var. paniculata (2)

9' Heads in ± narrow raceme- or ± spike-like clusters ..... P. racemosa

11. Involucre 10–15 mm

12. St cobwebby, hairs tangled; basal leaves lanceolate; phyllaries densely long-soft-hairy ..... var. pinetorum

12' St generally glabrous; basal leaves oblanceolate to elliptic; phyllaries ciliate ..... var. racemosa

11' Involucre 5–9 mm

13. Heads in a narrow raceme- to panicle-like cluster, not crowded ..... var. paniculata (2)

13' Heads generally crowded in a spike-like cluster

14. Involucre 12–16 mm diam, phyllaries yellow-green throughout, sparsely tomentose near base or throughout, tip glandular-ciliate ..... var. congesta

14' Involucre 5–7 mm diam, phyllaries green-tipped, leathery, ciliate (except recurved tip), margin translucent ..... var. sessiliflora

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].
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