Crocidium is a small genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae, within the order Asterales. It is native to western North America, occurring in British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and California, where it grows in varied habitats ranging from open grassland to woodland.
Species in the genus are small annuals, typically no more than 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) tall. Plants form a small patch of somewhat fleshy basal leaves at ground level, from which several tall, thin, gangly stems arise, each topped with a single flower head. The flower head carries five to thirteen lemon-yellow ray florets, each up to a centimeter long, surrounding a center of tiny disc florets in a similarly bright yellow shade. The fruits are small, fuzzy brown achenes only one to two millimeters long, which become gluey when wetted.
Taxonomically, the genus was published by the botanist William Jackson Hooker in 1833 (Flora Boreali-Americana 1: 335, t. 118). Sources differ slightly on how many species the genus contains: some treatments recognize two species, Crocidium multicaule and Crocidium pugetense, while GBIF's backbone taxonomy treats C. pugetense as a synonym of C. multicaule, making the genus effectively monotypic. Crocidium multicaule, sometimes known by the common name "spring gold," is the best-known and most widely recorded member of the genus.
Distribution
Species of Crocidium are native to western North America, found in British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and California.
Ecology
Plants grow in varied habitats ranging from grassland to woodland.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus was described by W. J. Hooker in 1833 (Flora Boreali-Americana 1: 335, t. 118) and belongs to family Asteraceae, order Asterales. Wikipedia lists two species, Crocidium multicaule and Crocidium pugetense, but GBIF's backbone taxonomy treats C. pugetense as a synonym of C. multicaule, leaving a single accepted species.
