Rainiera is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae.[1][2] The single species, Rainiera stricta (Greene) Greene, is endemic to the northwestern United States (Oregon and Washington).[3] The genus is part of the tribe Senecioneae, and appears to be most closely related to Luina, another genus of northwestern North America, in which it was once placed. Rainiera stricta is of conservation concern, with a G2G3 ranking from NatureServe, and is considered to be globally imperiled. It is known by the common name false silverback.[4]

Rainiera
Rainiera stricta in Mount Rainier National Park
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribe: Senecioneae
Genus: Rainiera
Greene
Species:
R. stricta
Binomial name
Rainiera stricta
(Greene) Greene

Description

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Rainiera stricta is an herbaceous perennial with both basal and cauline, alternate, petiolate leaves. It has 30-70 discoid heads arranged in a raceme-like or thyrse-like capitulescence. The disk florets are about 5 per head, and have yellow, sometimes purple-tinged corollas. The cypselae (achenes) are glabrous and have a pappus of white or straw-colored bristles. It is distinguished from Luina by the having fewer florets per head and a racemiform, rather than corymbiform, capitulescence.

Taxonomy

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The genus name of Rainiera is in honour of Peter Rainier (1741–1808), who was a Royal Navy officer who served during the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. From 1794 to 1805, he was commander-in-chief of the Navy's East Indies Station.[5]

The genus was circumscribed by Edward Lee Greene in Pittonia vol.3 on page 291 in 1898.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Flora of North America. "Senecioneae". Family List. 20: 540. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  2. ^ Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem. "Details for: Senecioneae". Euro Med PlantBase. Freie Universität Berlin. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  3. ^ a b "Rainiera stricta (Greene) Greene | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  4. ^ NRCS. "Rainiera stricta". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  5. ^ Burkhardt, Lotte (2022). Eine Enzyklopädie zu eponymischen Pflanzennamen [Encyclopedia of eponymic plant names] (pdf) (in German). Berlin: Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Freie Universität Berlin. doi:10.3372/epolist2022. ISBN 978-3-946292-41-8. Retrieved January 27, 2022.