Common names:
Brownfoot, pink perezia
Family:
Scientific name:
Acourtia wrightii
Main flower color:
Range:
The southern tip of Nevada, southeast as far as west Texas
Height:
Between 2 and 4 feet
Habitat:
Gravelly locations in woodland, scrubland and open desert areas, up to 6,000 feet
Leaves:
Sessile; oblong/elliptic to broadly lanceolate, often with clasping bases. Toothed edges. Up to 3 inches long
Season:
January to June
Acourtia wrightii is one of the many asteraceae species that produce flowers that have only disc florets, no rays. Flowerheads have between 8 and 12 florets, pink to pale purple in color, each consisting of a three-lobed lower lip, a two-lobed upper lip, and a branched, exserted style, which is joined lower down to the stamens. Below the flowers is a bell-shaped involucre ringed by three rows of phyllaries, often purple at the tip. The margins of the phyllaries are lined by fine glandular hairs. Heads form a flat-topped cluster (corymb), at the top of the leafy stems; this is a relatively large, shrub-like plant, inhabiting arid regions of the Southwest.
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