These seeds were a bit of a mystery for me.
I knew the seeds were in these button-like seed cases on the plants.
But what did the seeds look like?
I pulled one apart. Are these the seeds?
No, those are the envelopes the seeds come in. The seeds are circular and pretty tiny.
Hint: this is a desert plant that is related to hollyhocks.
Do you know what it is? Don’t be shy to leave your guesses in the comments.
Edit: The answer is now posted.
The good news is that these seeds will grow almost anywhere.
You might have planted some in your yard or garden.
Any idea what kind of plant they came from?
Edit: The answer is now posted.
Our silvery mystery seeds from last week were from Lindley’s silver puffs, Microseris lindleyi.
I have to admit these were tough ones to identify. I have only seen them at the Desert Botanical Garden on the wildflower trail and in a botanically-minded friend’s yard. They do grow throughout the western United States, however.
The seed heads are somewhat reminiscent of a dandelion, but the parasol is thicker and silvery in color.
I don’t have any photographs of the flowers, but they have interesting pointed green bracts that make them look star-shaped, giving them their other common name “starpoint.” Firefly Forest has photographs of the silver puff plant and flowers. Wildflowers in Santa Barbara also has silverpuff photographs.
For more information, see Roberta Gibson Writes.
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