About Atrichoseris platyphylla (A.Gray) A.Gray
Atrichoseris is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. This genus contains only one known species: Atrichoseris platyphylla, which has the common names tobacco weed, parachute plant, and gravel ghost.
Atrichoseris platyphylla is native to desert regions of the southwestern United States, including southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and the southwestern corner of Utah, as well as to northwestern Mexico, including Sonora and Baja California.
This plant grows a low basal rosette of rounded leaves that lie at ground level, patterned with gray-green and purple patches. It produces a thin, weedy-looking branching stem that can reach up to 70 centimetres (28 inches) tall. The stem is topped with multiple attractive, fragrant white or pink-tinged flowers, each between 2.5 and 5 cm (1 to 2 inches) wide. The layered ray florets of these flowers are rectangular and toothed. Flowering occurs between February and May. Its hairless fruit is shaped like a five-sided club.
The genus name Atrichoseris translates to "chicory plant without hairs", a reference to the plant's hairless fruit. The specific epithet platyphylla means "flat-leaved".
