Xylorhiza cognata
| Xylorhiza cognata | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Tribe: | Astereae |
| Genus: | Xylorhiza |
| Species: | X. cognata |
| Binomial name | |
| Xylorhiza cognata (H.M.Hall) T.J.Watson | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Aster cognatus | |
Xylorhiza cognata is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names Mecca-aster and Mecca woodyaster. It is endemic to Riverside County, California, where it is known only from the Mecca Hills and Indio Hills of the Sonoran Desert.[1] It grows in scrubby habitat in dry desert canyons. It is a shrub with branching stems that may approach 1.5 meters in length. They are hairy and glandular when new and lose their hairs with age. The leaves are lance-shaped to oval with smooth, toothed, or spiny edges. The inflorescence is a solitary flower head with up to 30 or more lavender or pale blue ray florets, each of which may measure over 2 centimeters in length. Flowering begins in January. The fruit is an achene which may be over a centimeter long, including its pappus of bristles.
Threats to this species include vehicles in its habitat.[2]