Chaptalia nutans (L.) Pol.
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Authority
Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.
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Family
Asteraceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Erect herb 10-45(-60) cm tall. Leaves all basal, sessile but narrowly attenuate into a petiole-like base, 5-30(-34) x 2.5-6(- 10) cm, oblanceolate-spatulate and lyrate-pinnatifid, especially so near base, chartaceous, the upper surface green, glabrous or lingering cobwebby-woolly, the lower surface white-tomentose, the apex obtuse. Inflorescence of 1 to several peduncles, these cobwebbywoolly or becoming glabrous, naked, and without bracts or sometimes with a bracteole or two. Heads nodding when young, later more or less erect, ca. 150-320-flowered, to 2(-3.5) cm tall; involucre 12-25 mm tall, ca. 5-seriate; involucral bracts tomentose, reflexed when past fruit; receptacle flat, ca. 4 mm broad. Flowers trimorphic; outer flowers ligulate, pistillate; submarginal ones reduced, nearly actinomorphic, pistillate; inner ones somewhat irregularly 5-lobed, pseudobilabiate, appearing bisexual, but functionally staminate; all corollas white or nearly so, to 12 mm long. Fertile achenes long-beaked, 5-6-ribbed, lightly glandular, to 4 mm long, beak 10-15 mm long; pappus 10—12(—15) mm long, white or pink.
Distribution and Ecology - Occasional in open to shaded hills, roadsides, or moist banks. Along road to Bordeaux (A2859, A3181), between Bethany and Rosenberg (B240). Also on St. Croix, St. Thomas, and Tortola; throughout much of the West Indies, the neotropics, and parts of the New World subtropics.
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Discussion
Common name: white back.