Southwest Colorado Wildflowers, Chaenactis stevioides

Chaenactis' mass of finely cut leaves usually draws our attention first, for Chaenactis flowers are small, rayless, and inconspicuously light white, cream, or yellow. But a close look at the flowesrs shows their intricacy and beauty and makes them special with wildflower enthusiasts.

"Chaenactis" is from the Greek "open or gaping rays", but since Chaenactis flowers have no ray flowers the genus name perhaps refers to what appear to be ray flowers in some species. These seeming ray flowers are, in the words of the Flora of North America, "enlarged peripheral disc corollas".

Chaenactis stevioides (Chaenactis)
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Semi-desert. Shrublands, openings. Spring, summer.
Corona Arch Trail, Utah, May 5, 2005.

Chaenactis stevioides has a very open, airy growth pattern topped by a spray of white disk flowers. Leaves are deeply cut and often a blue-green with light maroon becoming dominant as the plant ages.

According to the on-line Calflora Botanical Dictionary: "there is a genus Stevia in the Asteraceae that grows in Paraguay.... It was named after Pedro Jaime Esteve (d. 1566), a Spanish botanist and physician. From the form of the name "stevioides" ... it [is] likely that it means 'like [the genus] Stevia'". William Jackson Hooker named the plant in 1839 and it is likely he knew of Esteve.

Chaenactis stevioides (Chaenactis)
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Semi-desert. Shrublands, openings. Spring, summer.
Corona Arch Trail, Utah, May 5, 2005.

In the background of the Chaenactis stevioides are numerous yellow spore-bearing bodies of Mormon Tea.

Six Chaenactis stevioides flowers show the progression from a bud just opening (to the right of top center) to a fully opened flower. The yellow flower centers within the white flowers are tightly closed disk flowers that will open white. Fully opened central disk flowers are tubular; fully opened disk flowers around the edge often are enlarged and have flared lips that resemble ray flowers and this may be the source of the genus name that translates as "open or gaping rays". Chaenactis flower heads have no ray flowers. See the note at the top of this page.