Chaptalia tomentosa Vent.

Woolly Sunbonnets; Pineland Daisy; Night Nodding Bog Dandelion

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Pineland Daisy is a native perennial member of the Sunflower family (Asteraceae). It occurs in the lower third of Alabama. Pineland Daisy is found in wet sandy pine Flatwoods, in bogs and seeps, and on wet roadsides. Typical composite flowers are produced on six to eight inch stalks arising from a basal rosette of leaves. The basal rosettes are often covered by grasses if the area has not burned or been mown recently. The leaves are dark green or even purplish above, and covered with a dense wooly mat of white hairs on the lower surface (tomentose). The flower stalks also are covered in mats of wooly hairs. As with all composites, the “flowers” are actually an inflorescence composed of dozens of individual flowers packed closely together. The “petals” are ray flowers, and the center of the inflorescence in composed of the disc flowers. The ray flowers are pinkish on the lower surface and white on the upper surface. The disc flowers are white. The “flowers” are only held upright and open on sunny days. At night and on cloudy days the ray flowers fold over and the inflorescence nods. This may be the origin of another common name—Sunbonnets. The fruit is a beaked achene. Pineland Daisy is only rarely available commercially, but can be grown from seed. The seed should be planted on the surface of moist potting soil and not covered. Cover the pot with a sheet of plastic wrap and place in an area with indirect light. When the seed germinate the plastic covering can be gradually removed. Pineland Daisy requires a consistently moist soil and full sunlight. It makes an interesting addition to a bog garden.--A. Diamond

**

Native FACW (NWPL)

**