Filago

Broad-leaved cudweed Filago pyramidata, copyright Philmarin.

Belongs within: Inuleae.

Filago, herba impia, is a Holarctic genus of greyish composite-flowered herbs.

Characters (from Hickman 1993): Annual, greyish, cobwebby to tomentose. Stems generally more or less evenly leafy below, more or less leafless between upper forks. Leaves simple, alternate or seeming whorled, more or less sessile, entire. Inflorescence with heads disciform, more or less sessile, generally in groups of 2–10(20), more or less ovoid to conic until mature; bracts leaf-like; phyllaries more or less absent; receptacle generally less than twice as long as wide, generally expanded at tip, chaffy; chaff scales generally 10–20, more or less phyllary-like, each subtending a pistillate floret, generally evenly curved inward; outer scales each more or less folded around a floret, generally falling with a fruit, more or less woolly, back generally rounded, tip generally narrowly obtuse to acute, more or less scarious-winged; innermost chaff scales generally larger than outer, open, boat-shaped, persistent, more or less glabrous, more or less rigid throughout, generally spreading at maturity. Pistillate florest in (3)4–8 series, all or outer subtended by chaff scales; corollas tubular. Disk florets bisexual, not subtended by chaff scales; corolla lobes 4–5. Fruit more or less obovoid, generally more or less compressed side-to-side; outer fruit enfolded by chaff scale, generally erect, straight, smooth, shiny, pappus absent; inner fruit not enfolded by chaff scale, slightly smaller than outer, rougher or papillate, dull, pappus generally of 16–30 bristles, more or less deciduous, generally cohering in a ring.

<==Filago
    |  i. s.: F. aegaea PT98
    |           |--F. a. ssp. aegaea PT98
    |           `--F. a. ssp. aristata PT98
    |         F. cretensis PT98
    |         F. eriocephala PT98
    |         F. vulgaris Lam. 1779 PL04
    |--F. (subg. Filago) pyramidata H93
    `--F. subg. Oglifa [incl. Logfia] H93
         |--F. arizonica H93
         |--F. californica H93
         |--F. depressa H93
         `--F. gallica H93 [=Logfia gallica PT98, Oglifa gallica BC98]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[BC98] Brullo, S., G. Campo, C. Marcenò, S. Romano & G. Siracusa. 1998. Crassula campestris (Eckl. & Zeyh.) Endl. (Crassulaceae), a new record for the Italian flora. Willdenowia 28: 53–58.

[H93] Hickman, J. C. (ed.) 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press: Berkeley (California).

[PT98] Panitsa, M., & D. Tzanoudakis. 1998. Contribution to the study of the Greek flora: Flora and vegetation of the E Aegean islands Agathonisi and Pharmakonisi. Willdenowia 28: 95–116.

[PL04] Pohl, G., & I. Lenski. 2004. Zur Verbreitung und Vergesellschaftung von Pennisetum orientale Rich. in Nordeuböa (Griechenland) (Poaceae, Paniceae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 83 (2): 209–223.