Croptilon divaricatum, called the slender scratchdaisy, is a North American species of flowering plants in the tribe Astereae within the family Asteraceae. It is native to the southeastern and south-central United States, in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas.Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
Croptilon divaricatum is an annual or perennial herb sometimes reaching a height of 150 cm (5 feet) and forming a large taproot. Each plant produces one or more yellow flower heads, each with up to 30 ray florets and as many as 100 disc florets.Flora of North America, Slender scratchdaisy, Croptilon divaricatum (Nuttall) Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2: 47. 1837.
Distribution and habitat C. divaricatum is found in the U.S. Gulf States, occurring in areas that have sandy soil.Shaal, B. A., Wesley J. Leverich (1982). "Survivorship Patterns in an Annual plant community." oecologia 54(2): 149-151. It is found in longleaf pine-wiregrass savannahsHarrington, T. B. (2011). "Overstory and understory relationships in longleaf pine plantations 14 years after thinning and woody control." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 41: 2301-2314. turkey oak sand ridges, and along the edges of hillside bogs and hardwood swamps, requiring high light conditions. Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, Cecil R. Slaughter, Tara Baridi, Rex Ellis, L. Baltzell, Bruce Hansen, JoAnn Hansen, Paul L. Redfearn, Jr., C. Jackson, Robert K. Godfrey, John B. Nelson, Cortland S. Hill, A. H. Curtiss, Gary R. Knight, P. Genelle, G. Fleming, James D. Ray, Jr., Richard S. Mitchell, Andre F. Clewell, Cortland S. Hill, R. R. Smith, Gary H. Morton, Jeri Kirkland, D. B. Ward, R. Kral, Kathleen Craddock Burks, H. E. Grelen, R. A. Norris, and R. Komarek. States and Counties: Florida: Bay, Calhoun, Citrus, Clay, Dade, Dixie, Escambia, Gadsden, Hernando, Jackson, Jefferson, Lake, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Putnam, Wakulla, and Walton. Georgia: Grady and Thomas. C. divaricatum can also be found in human-disturbed areas, such as fallow fields, roadsides, and orange groves.
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