Prenanthes racemosa
 
Glaucous White Lettuce

Flower Head Side, Near Bracts Removed

3.2 km North of Highway # 3 on Silica Sands Road,
33 km East of Hudson Bay
05-August-2016

The near involucral bracts have been removed to reveal the bases of the florets.  Note the pubescent involucre.

Racemosa: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora leading to this species. 

basal leaves tapering to winged stalks;  NOT [basal leaves cordate- or hastate-based, abruptly joining stalk]

bracts of involucre hairy

 

Prenanthes: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus. 

juice milky; NOT [juice watery]

stem not diffusely branched

plants essentially glabrous below the inflorescence; NOT [plants hairy]

plants with normal stem leaves; NOT [plants with leaves all basal], NOT [stem leaves few, mostly linear or reduced to scales]

stems leafy throughout or at least to midway up the stem; NOT [stems leafy at the base only, leaves mostly basal]

heads few to many, rarely solitary; NOT [heads solitary]

involucre of two or more series; NOT [involucre uniseriate]

involucre usually of unequal bracts; NOT [involucre of equal bracts]

bracts of involucre broad; NOT [bracts of involucre narrow]

bracts of involucre colored; NOT [bracts of involucre green]

flowers all ligulate (ray)

flowers all perfect; NOT [flowers pistillate or neuter]

flowers white or purplish

stamens united to form a tube around the pistil

pappus consisting of bristles only; NOT [pappus of minute scales or none], NOT [pappus double, the outer ring consisting of 5 small scale-like appendages, the inner ring bristles], NOT [pappus scale-like at the base, with plumose terminal bristles]

pappus bristles simple; NOT [pappus bristles plumose (branched)]

pappus brownish or tawny; NOT [pappus white]

achenes not flattened; NOT [achenes flattened, at least twice as wide as thick]