Machaeranthera orcuttii (Vasey & Rose) Cronquist & D.D. Keck
Xylorhiza orcuttii (Vasey & Rose) Greene
Orcutt’s aster, Orcutt’s woody aster, borego aster, mojave aster
Orcutt’s aster is an endangered species native to California and Baja California in Mexico.
Plants: A smooth-stemmed shrub less than 5′ (1.5 m) in height.
Leaves: Variable: oblong or lanceolate, [Save(2-6 x 5-26 mm)], with smooth or spiny edges.
Flowers: Light blue flowers are about 1–2½″ (3–7 cm) in diameter, composed of 25-40 rays around a yellow center. (The yellow center is itself composed of 55-140 tiny flowers.)
Fruits: 1/16–⅛″ (3–4 mm) in size, surrounded by a bristly pappus up to ⅜″ (1 cm).
Habitats: Arid canyons at elevations of 66–984′ (20–300 m).
Online References:
Aster orcuttii Vasey & Rose
Machaeranthera orcuttii (Vasey & Rose) Cronquist & D.D. Keck
Machaeranthera orcuttii (Vasey & Rose) Cronquist & D.D. Keck
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Asterales | Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies |
| Family | Asteraceae | The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers |
| Genus | Xylorhiza | Woodyasters, from the Greek for “woody root” |
| Species | orcuttii | Named for naturalist Charles Russell Orcutt |
Xylorhiza orcuttii description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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