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Asteraceae FAMILY

Pectis papposa

Pectis papposa

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitAnnual
Growth—

We have very little information on this species. It is not frost-hardy but can be grown outdoors in Britain as a half-hardy annual and probably requires a dry to moist light or medium well-drained soil in a sunny position. Pectis is unusual among Compositae in having the C4 photosynthetic pathway and the accompanying Kranz anatomy - leaves with vascular bundle sheath cells that contain numerous chloroplasts. All of the closely related genera have the C3 pathway. The selective advantage imparted by C4 photosynthesis (greatly reduced photorespiration in bundle sheath cells) has enabled Pectis species to occupy a variety of hot, dry habitats including deserts, tropical and subtropical grasslands, arid scrublands, and tropical beaches[1]. Leaves and phyllaries in all Pectis species are dotted with embedded pellucid glands (here called oil-glands)[1].. In some species, the liquid within the schizogenous cavities includes a mixture of strongly scented monoterpenes; in other species the gland contents have little or no aroma. Herbage containing strongly scented essential oils are described as 'lemon-scented' when citral is the predominant compound and 'spicy-scented' when other oils are predominant[1].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts. If you have sufficient seed it may be worthwhile trying an outdoor sowing in situ in mid to late spring. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Pectis+papposa>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  2. [2]A California Flora. — Munz P.A. & Keck D.D. · University of California Press; Los Angeles · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.
  3. [3]Food Plants of the N. American Indians. — Yanovsky. E. · U.S. Depf of Agriculture. · ISBN - ↩︎A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.
  4. [4]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  5. [5]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  6. [6]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.