Two-flowered Cynthia somewhat resembles a common dandelion. It's a native perennial wildflower with one or few stalks, with few to several branches above the midpoint.
The basal leaves are spoonlike, on a long peduncle; they can be entire, wavy, toothed, or rarely pinnately lobed. The stem leaves are alternate, usually 1–5, much reduced, and clasping.
The flowerheads are orange-yellow, dandelion-like, to 1½ inch across, terminal on stems normally having one clasping leaf midway on the stalk. (The botanical name biflora (“two-flowered”) is misleading, as the plant may several flowerheads.) At the base of the flowerhead, it has 10–18 involucral bracts that are flattened (not keeled); as the flowerhead ages, they shrivel and reflex (bend back) strongly.
Blooms May–August.
The fruits are achenes (structurally similar to sunflower or dandelion seeds) with a pappus (crown of hairs or bristles at the tip) whose longest bristles are about ¼ inch long.
Similar species: Four other Krigia (dwarf dandelion) species are recorded for Missouri. See Ecosystem Connections to learn more about them.
Height: 4–24 inches.
Generally south of the Missouri River and in the eastern half of the state; uncommon in the Mississippi Lowlands.
Habitat and Conservation
Grows in upland woodlands, upland prairies, margins of ponds and sinkhole ponds, and banks of streams; also pastures and roadsides.
Status
Native Missouri wildflower.
Human Connections
This and other dwarf dandelions are good choices for naturalizing in rock gardens and other places with well-drained soils. Deer don't browse them due to their bitter sap. Look for dwarf dandelions for sale at ethical native wildflower nurseries, or start some yourself from seed.
Botany can be a fun hobby, because there is so much to learn, and your appreciation deepens the more you learn. You can apply it to other parts of your life, such as gardening, flower arranging, and cooking, too. But also: studying plants, and applying that knowledge in land management, agriculture, horticulture, and more, employs countless people. It's important, meaningful work.
Ecosystem Connections
Like many other members of the sunflower-daisy-dandelion-aster family, this species attracts a host of bees, flies, wasps, butterflies, and beetles. In addition to insects that visit the flowers, other insects eat the leaves, roots, and other parts. The insects are important food for birds and other insectivores.
Like other herbaceous perennials, its roots help stabilize soils and prevent erosion.
Relatives: Dwarf dandelions, true dandelions, lettuces, chicory, hawkweeds, sow thistles, and salsify are all grouped together as a tribe (subfamily) of the sunflower-daisy family: tribe Cichorieae.
- The group is named for the chicory genus, Cichorium.
- The flowerheads all look something like those of common dandelion or chicory.
- Unlike sunflowers, asters, and daisies, which have differently shaped central disk florets and petal-like ray florets, members of the chicory tribe all have flowerheads composed entirely of ligulate florets, whose fused petals have a flattened, strap-shaped extension that has 5 teeth at the outer tip.
- The achenes ("seeds") typically have a pappus of numerous whitish bristles, hairs, and/or scales.
- The plants usually have milky sap.
- Within the tribe, the leaf shapes are quite variable even within a species, so identifications usually hinge upon pappus characteristics.
Four other dwarf dandelions (genus Krigia) have been recorded for Missouri:
- Potato dandelion (Krigia dandelion) is a perennial; its roots are small, potato-like tubers about ½ inch long. Like a “true” dandelion, it bears only one flowerhead per stem and the stems do not branch, but the stems are not hollow; the height is 4–20 inches. It has only basal leaves. It has 14–16 involucral bracts that are flattened (not keeled); as the flowerhead ages, they shrivel and reflex (bend back) strongly. Its fruits have a pappus whose longest bristles are at least ¼ inch long. Scattered, mostly south of the Missouri River.
- Virginia dwarf dandelion (Krigia virginica) is an annual; it resembles a miniature dandelion, rarely more than 3 inches tall (but possibly to 14 inches). The leaves are almost always only basal. It has 8–14 involucral bracts that are flattened (not keeled); as the flowerhead ages, they shrivel and reflex (bend back) strongly. Its fruits have a pappus with 5 long bristles that are about ¼ inch long. It forms large colonies, often lining cracks in rocks. Scattered, mostly south of the Missouri River.
- Common dwarf dandelion (Krigia cespitosa) is an annual, 2–18 inches tall, with both basal leaves and alternate stem leaves; it has only 4–7 involucral bracts, which, as the flowerhead ages, are persistent and scalelike, remaining fairly upright (not shriveling and strongly reflexing); also, its fruits lack a pappus. Scattered, mostly south of the Missouri River.
- Western dwarf dandelion (Krigia occidentalis) is an annual, 1½–4 inches tall, with only basal leaves (no stem leaves); it has only 4–7 involucral bracts, which, as the flowerhead ages, are like those of common dwarf dandelion (persistent, scalelike, upright); also, its fruits have a pappus whose bristles are at most ⅛ inch long. Easily confused with Virginia dwarf dandelion, but its persistently ascending, scalelike, keeled involucral bracts are a key identifier. Uncommon in the southwestern part of the Ozarks, rarely seen, in glades and openings of dry upland woodlands.
