Florestina is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae (the sunflower or daisy family), order Asterales. The genus is native to the southern United States (Texas), Mexico, and Central America, with the majority of species concentrated in Mexico.
Plants in this genus are herbaceous annuals or perennials bearing small flower heads with whitish corollas. Florestina is distinguished from the closely related genus Palafoxia by several morphological characters: its leaves are 3–5 lobed, the corollas are whitish rather than pink or purple, and the cypselae (achenes, the dry one-seeded fruits typical of the daisy family) are only sparsely pubescent and bear curled trichomes rather than the straight trichomes found in Palafoxia. The relationship between Florestina and Palafoxia is close enough that some taxonomists have proposed merging the two genera.
The genus comprises around eight described species, including Florestina tripteris, which has the widest range extending from Texas south through numerous Mexican states, and Florestina pedata, found in Mexico and Guatemala.
Distribution
Florestina is native to southern Texas (USA), Mexico, and Central America, including Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Most species are restricted to Mexico, where they occur across a broad range of states from Chihuahua and Coahuila in the north to Oaxaca and Chiapas in the south; Florestina tripteris has the broadest range, extending into Texas.
Taxonomy Notes
Florestina is placed in the family Asteraceae (order Asterales) and is considered closely related to the genus Palafoxia. The two genera share similar morphology, and some authors have argued they should be merged; Florestina is distinguished principally by its 3–5 lobed leaves, whitish corollas, and sparsely pubescent achenes with curled trichomes (versus straight trichomes in Palafoxia).
