ASTERACEAE

SUNFLOWER FAMILY

David J. Keil, Family Editor and author, except as specified

Annual to tree
Leaves basal or cauline, alternate to whorled, simple to compound
Inflorescence: 1° inflorescence a head, each resembling a flower, 1–many, generally arrayed in cymes, generally subtended by ± calyx-like involucre; flowers 1–many per head
Flowers bisexual, unisexual, or sterile, ± small, of several types; calyx 0 or modified into pappus of bristles, scales, or awns, which is generally persistent in fruit; corolla radial or bilateral (rarely 0), lobes generally (0)4–5; stamens 4–5, anthers generally fused into cylinder around style, often appendaged at tips, bases, or both, filaments generally free, generally attached to corolla near throat; pistil 1, ovary inferior, 1-chambered, 1-seeded, style 1, branches 2, generally hair-tufted at tip, stigmas 2, generally on inside of style branches
Fruit: achene, cylindric to ovoid, generally deciduous with pappus attached
Genera in family: ± 1300 genera, 21,000 species (largest family of dicots): worldwide. Largest family in CA. Also see tribal key to CA genera: Strother 1997 Madroño 44(1):1–28. See glossary p. 25 for illustrations of general family characteristics.

BEBBIA

SWEETBUSH

Subshrubs, shrubs, ± strongly scented
Stems many, slender, from thick, woody root-crown, short-lived, very brittle, often leafless
Leaves simple, opposite (or upper alternate), sessile or petioled; blades linear to triangular, entire to dentate or irregularly lobed
Inflorescence: heads discoid, solitary or in open, rounded cymes; peduncles slender; involucre cylindric to narrowly bell-shaped; phyllaries graduated in several series; receptacle rounded, chaffy, scales folded around fruits
Flowers many; corollas yellow; anther tips ovate, acute; style tips tapered, acute
Fruit club-shaped, compressed, 3-angled, brown to black; hairs ascending, white; pappus of 15–30 subplumose bristles
Species in genus: 2 species: sw US, nw Mex
Etymology: (M.S. Bebb, Am botanist, 1833–1895)
Reference: [Whalen 1977 Madroño 24:112–123]

Native

B. juncea (Benth.) Greene var. aspera Greene

Stems 5–15 dm, much-branched, forming a rounded bush < or = 3 m diam, glabrous or short-bristly
Leaves 1–3(9) cm, linear and entire or with few, sharp, pinnate lobes, drought-deciduous
Inflorescence: heads few; peduncles 1.5–6 cm; involucre 4–15 mm diam; phyllaries 1–7 mm, lanceolate to linear, acute
Flowers: corollas 6.5–10 mm
Fruit 2–3.5 mm; pappus 6–10 mm
Chromosomes: 2n=18
Ecology: Common. Dry, rocky slopes, desert plains, washes
Elevation: < 1500 m.
Bioregional distribution: Southwestern California, East of Sierra Nevada, Desert
Distribution outside California: to s Nevada, Texas, nw Mexico
Flowering time: Apr–Jul
Horticultural information: DRN: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24; bright green stems.