Lygodesmia texana (Torrey & A. Gray) Greene, texas skeletonplant. Perennial herb, taprooted (rhizomatous), rosetted, 1–stemmed at base, forming lateral branches from canopy downward, in range 30—65 cm tall; shoots with to 7 basal leaves and several cauline leaves, mature shoot with green stems and sparse foliage, glabrous; latex milky; taproot to 5 mm diameter.
Stems cylindric to slightly ridged, to 5 mm diameter, tough, green.
Leaves helically alternate, sparsely pinnately lobed with short, slender, and widely spaced lobes, short–petiolate, without stipules; petiole flared at base, flat, colorless at base, indistinct from blade; blade 140—190 mm long (basal and lower cauline leaves), axis flattened, to 2.5 mm wide, lobes acute to acuminate, to 5 mm wide, upper cauline leaves decreasing upward to < 10 mm long, papillate along colorless margins.
Inflorescence heads, in terminal cymelike array of several heads, head ligulate, ca. 40 mm across, with 5—12 bisexual flowers, bracteate; axis stemlike, green, glabrous; bract subtending peduncle triangular, to 2.5 mm long, short–ciliate on margins and purplish at tip with finlike projection near tip; peduncle slightly ridged and stemlike, 5—15 mm long, with several helically alternate bracts along axis, bract short awl–shaped, < 1.5 mm long, short–ciliate on margins, with a projecting whitish, persistent base, with bracts at top subtending involucre (calyculus), bracts 8—16, deltate grading upward to acute–ovate and acuminate–ovate, 1.5—5 mm long, to 1.8 mm wide, the larger bracts with raised midridge, bracts with a subterminal, purplish, finlike projection, pale green to midpoint and darker above or some reddish to purplish approaching tip, green tissue glabrous or puberulent on sides of backbone, densely short–ciliate and jagged on membranous margins; involucre cylindric, 5—6 mm wide, of 8 phyllaries in 1 series, phyllaries linear, 19—22 × 1.7—3 mm, gray–green center dugout canoelike with membranous margins base–to–tip to 0.9 mm wide, having 3 raised ridges, the ridges often pink to purplish, outer (lower) surface conspicuously puberulent except membranous margins, with a subterminal, purple, finlike projection at convergence of 3 veins, tip membranous and short–ciliate; receptacle with ovaries in short pits, lacking bractlets (paleae), glabrous.
Ligulate flower bisexual, bilateral, 5—6 mm across; calyx (pappus) capillary bristles (not smooth), 100—150+ in 3 series, 7.5—14(—16.5) mm long, white, fused to green ring at base, not feathery (plumose), persistent; corolla 5–lobed, 35—40 mm long; tube cylindric, 12—13 mm long, 0.4 mm diameter at base 1.3—1.5 mm diameter at top, white or with red lines; limb 5–lobed (toothed), expanded portion strap–shaped, to 20 × 5—6 mm, lavender, teeth triangular, 1.5—2 mm long; stamens 5, arising at top of corolla tube; filaments ca. 2.5 mm long, white, glabrous; anthers fused into cylinder surrounding style, basifixed, dithecal, 5—6.7 mm long + slender acuminate tails ca. 0.8 mm long, colorless with reddish stripes, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen white; pistil 1; ovary inferior, narrowly barrel–shaped, 2 × 0.8—1 mm, green to paler at base or greenish to white at base, smooth, glabrous but some minute glandular hairs at top, 1–chambered with 1 ovule; style long–exserted from anthers (to 8 mm ), < 25—30 mm long, white with exserted portion pink–purple, 2–branched, below midpoint glabrous, sparsely papillate–hairy within anthers, densely hairy with ascending hairs on exserted portion, the branches stigmatic, 2 mm long, and exserted above tips of anthers.
Fruits cypselae (achenes), cylindric, 12—14 × 1.5 mm, the widest near or somewhat below midpoint, tan, indented at base, puberulent; beak absent; pappus of 100—200 spreading capillary bristles in 2—3 series, 7.5—14(—16.5) mm long, white, not plumose.
A. C. Gibson