The plants around us. Volum III The plant around us. Volume III. Etwining project | Page 47

The calyculi (the cuplike bracts that hold the florets) are composed
of 12 to 18 segments: each segment is reflexed and sometimes
glaucous. The lanceolate shaped bractlets are in two series, with the
apices acuminate in shape. The 14–25 mm (0.55–0.98 in) wide
involucres are green to dark green or brownish-green, with the tips
dark gray or purplish. The florets number 40 to over 100 per head,
having corollas that are yellow or orange-yellow in color.
The leaves are 5–45 cm (2.0–17.7 in) long and 1–10 cm (0.39–
3.94 in) wide, and are oblanceolate, oblong, or obovate in shape,
with the bases gradually narrowing to the petiole. The leaf
margins are typically shallowly lobed to deeply lobed and often
lacerate or toothed with sharp or dull teeth. [10]
The fruits, called cypselae, range in color from olive-green or olive-
brown to straw-colored to grayish, they are oblanceoloid in shape
and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long with slender beaks. The fruits have
4 to 12 ribs that have sharp edges. The silky pappi, which form the
parachutes, are white to silver-white in color and around 6 mm wide.
Plants typically have 24 or 40 pairs of chromosomes, while some
have 16 or 32 pairs. [12]