Blow Wives (Achyrachaena mollis) Login         


        Description
  • Height 2 in. - 2 ft.
  • EW Bloom Apr - May
  • This eye-catching bright-white flower is not a flower at all. As you look closer, you'll see that the "petals" are actually the flat scales of a seed head.
  • A California endemic, this plant grows natively nowhere else in the world.
  • AKA Soft Blow Wives
  • Aster Family (Asteraceae)



Here is the classic Blow Wives look. Flat, scaly pappus forms a wind parachute for each seed.



Yellow or orange ray florets point straight up. Inside them, many disc florets grow without petal-like rays.



Leaves are narrow and grow up to 6" long. They're erect and fuzzy.

   Photo Gallery (49 ) click any picture to enlarge
    

The Blow Wives seed head may remind you of a perfect dandelion, but the white [[pappus]] parts are flat and have a blunt tip. This distinctive combin ...

In summer, great colonies of Blow Wives make a striking display with their white spherical seed heads. They're widespread in California, growing in ...

The species name for Blow Wives, [i]mollis[/i], is Greek for "soft". This refers to the velveteen hairs that grow on its leaves, stem and [[phyllarie ...

Stems are hollow-centered and vertical, presenting flowers at their tips where they can be easily found by insect pollinators. Long leaves also poi ...

Imagine you're a flying insect pollinator seeking [[nectar]]. Your eyes don't see orange but do pick up yellow. When you visit yellow Blow Wives flo ...