Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Section: Common Name: Scientific Name: Family:
Account for Opposite-leaf Dwarf-dandelion - Krigia cespitosa   (Rafinesque) K.L. Chambers
Members of Asteraceae:
Members of Krigia with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 6 » Family Asteraceae
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Author(Rafinesque) K.L. Chambers
DistributionCoastal Plain and Piedmont. Absent or very scarce in the Sandhills proper. Specimens from Macon County (3 at HBSH) are misidentified; a Polk County specimen (at UNCA) has no image attached and needs vetting.

Southeastern VA to IL and NE, south to central FL and TX.
AbundanceInfrequent to locally fairly common in most of the Coastal Plain, away from the Sandhills and the far eastern counties. Uncommon to frequent in the southeastern and far eastern Piedmont, but rare westward. Often forms patches of plants.
HabitatMesic to dry soils of margins of floodplain forests, bottomlands, pine-hardwood woodlands, pastures, roadsides, clearings.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting late March - early June.
IdentificationThis small-headed Krigia has well-developed stem leaves (vs. greatly reduced or absent in our other species), which are lance-shaped or narrower. The stem grows only up to 1.5 feet. The whole plant is very "waxy" smooth, essentially glaucescent; some plants can look light bluish-green, whereas other are medium green.
Taxonomic CommentsFormerly known as K. oppositifolia. Note that the stem leaves can be alternate or opposite.

Other Common Name(s)Weedy Dwarf-dandelion
State RankS3? [S4]
Global RankG5
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photographercommentsphoto_linkcountyobsType
B.A. SorriePiedmont, roadside NC 22 at NC 24/27, Apr 2017. MoorePhoto_natural
Bryan EnglandKrigia cespitosa; Wake County; park in north Raleigh; 2 May 2015 WakePhoto_natural
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