Orbis Environmental Consulting

Menu

YOUR DAILY DOSE OF BOTANY – NOVEMBER 2012

 

Pappus

by Scott Namestnik, snamestnik@orbisec.com

It’s fall, and the yellow glow of old-fields has given way to the grayish-white cast we associate with fields in winter.  Of course, the yellow glow comes from goldenrod (Solidago spp.) in flower, but what gives fields the grayish-white cast when the leaves start to drop?

Goldenrod 1

As discussed a couple of months ago in this column, goldenrods are in the family Asteraceae.  A characteristic of this family is that the calyx (the floral part that surrounds the petals) is modified into a structure called a pappus.  Pappi come in all shapes, textures, colors, and sizes.  Some taxa in the family Asteraceae, such as yellow coneflower (Ratibida pinnata), lack a pappus entirely.  In the genus Bidens (tickseeds), the pappus consists of barbed awns.  In chicory (Cichorium intybus), the pappus is scale-like.  In the goldenrods, the pappus is a group of bristles that together give a fluffy appearance.  As the flowers on plants in the family Asteraceae mature, achenes (the fruit) develop, topped in most genera by the pappi.  Thus, the grayish-white cast that persists in fields through the winter is created by the fluffy pappi of the infructescence of goldenrods and other composites.Goldenrod 2

 

The pappus has a very important role for many plants in the family Asteraceae.  In goldenrods and dandelions (Taraxacum spp.), the fluffy pappus allows the fruit to blow in the wind.  In tickseeds, the barbed awn pappus allows the achene to stick in the fur of animals (or the pants of botanists), allowing them to hitch a ride and find a new place to germinate.  The pappus, therefore, is very important for many members of the family Asteraceae as a means of seed dispersal.

 

PappusThe various types and forms of pappi provide something to investigate all winter long.  Be sure to take out a hand lens and check out the different types of pappi in composites as you look forward to the coming spring.

If you have a question about plant terminology or morphology that you would like answered in a future edition of this column, send me an email at snamestnik@orbisec.com. I may not be able to address all requests given the space allotted for this column, but I will answer those that I can.

Click here to see more of Scott’s informative work

<Back to Your Daily Dose of Botany

Tessa M. Aby-Kruger

Botanist

Tessa is a geologist, botanist and vegetation ecologist with over 10 years of experience managing and conducting projects, specializing in ecological and floristic inventories, rare plant surveys, and vegetation monitoring. She also performs wetland evaluations and is a guided hike leader.

Jeremy Sheets

Senior Wildlife Biologist, Vice President

Jeremy is a founding member of Orbis and directs its ecological and wildlife surveys, assessment and planning services, and brings over 20 years’ experience conducting various wildlife surveys with a focus on bat ecology and urban wildlife management.


Jeremy has managed wildlife projects for private firms and the public sector including for wind facilities, pipelines, roadways, military bases, and airports. Jeremy is proficient in wildlife management/control techniques, wildlife identification, threatened and endangered species, and surveying and analysis techniques for mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects. Jeremy is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Qualified Airport Wildlife Biologists who develop Wildlife Hazard Assessments (WHA) and Wildlife Hazard Management Plans (WHMP) for airports. Jeremy is qualified to inspect erosion, sediment and stormwater plans, and their implementation. Furthermore, Jeremy is federally permitted to conduct endangered bat surveys in USFWS Regions 3, 4, 5, and 6 and includes acoustic surveys, mist-netting, and radio telemetry.

J Ryan Duddleson​

Senior Archaeologist, Principal

Ryan is a founding member of Orbis and directs its cultural resource management services, and brings over 20 years’ experience helping clients assess and minimize the risk of impacting places with cultural value.


Ryan works with public sector clients including federal, state, and municipal government, as well as private firms in energy, transportation, industrial, and development sectors. He also coordinates with agencies and consulting parties involved with the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and other related cultural resource laws and regulations. He performs archival research, analysis, and excavation. Ryan also has experience in artifact and archival curation. He has applied innovative techniques to traditional artifact analysis, such as examining organic residues from prehistoric pottery to determine prior contents. Ryan also has experience with human remains in archaeological settings. Ryan meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation, 48 FR. 44716 and is a Qualified Professional Archaeologist in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.