Melampodium

Melampodium, commonly called blackfoot, is a genus of about 40 flowering plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae).

They are rugged plants native to the tropical regions that include SW United States, California, Florida, the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

They consist of annuals and perennials or bushy plants, growing to a height of 1 m. When fully grown, they tend to fall over. They like average, well-drained soil, but can equally grow on rocky soil in deserts. They are moderately to highly drought and heat tolerant.

The foliage is bright green. The opposite leaves are narrow and about 2–5 cm long.

The terminal flower herads are about 2.5 cm wide. They give a continuous display of white, cream or yellow daisylike ray florets, surrounding a darker orange center with the disc florets. These 8–10 broad disc florets are functionally staminate. The 5 outer bracts are partially joined for about half their length.

The numerous fruits are seed-like, with a few narrow scales at their tip. They make this genus one of the most prolific of the summer annuals, with seedlings coming up constantly. Strangely, they dot not seem very attractive to butterflies. Therefore, they must mostly rely on the wind to propagate.

The chromosome numbers for Melampodium nutans and Melampodium pilosum are respectively n = 11 and n = 10

Several cultivars have been developed (such as Million Gold, Showstar), mostly to achieve a more compact size.

Species

• Melampodium americanum
• Melampodium anomalum
• Melampodium appendiculatum
• Melampodium arenicola
• Melampodium aureum
• Melampodium bibractatum
• Melampodium cinereum : Hoary Blackfoot
  • Melampodium cinereum var. cinereum : Hoary Blackfoot
  • Melampodium cinereum var. hirtellum : Hoary Blackfoot
  • Melampodium cinereum var. ramosissimum : Hoary Blackfoot
• Melampodium coronopifolium
• Melampodium costaricense
• Melampodium divaricatum : Butter Daisy
• Melampodium glabrum
• Melampodium glabribracteatum
• Melampodium gracile
• Melampodium kunthianum
• Melampodium lanciolatum
• Melampodium leucanthum : Plains Blackfoot
• Melampodium linarifolium
• Melampodium longicorne : Arizona Blackfoot
• Melampodium longifolium
• Melampodium longipes
• Melampodium longipilum
• Melampodium mayfieldii
• Melampodium microcarpum
• Melampodium microcephalum
• Melampodium montanum
• Melampodium nayaritense
• Melampodium nelsonii
• Melampodium nutans
• Melampodium oblongifolium
• Melampodium paniculatum
• Melampodium percussum
• Melampodium perfoliatum : Perfoliate Blackfoot
• Melampodium pilosum
• Melampodium rosei
• Melampodium sericeum : Rough Blackfoot
• Melampodium sinaloense
• Melampodium strigosum : Shaggy Blackfoot
• Melampodium suffruticosum
• Melampodium tepicense

References

• Turner, B.L. and R.M. King. 1962. A cytotaxonomic survey of Melampodium (Compositae-Heliantheae) Amer. J. Bot. 49:263–269.
• Steussy, T. F. 1979. – Cladistics of Melampodium (Compositae). Taxon 28: 179–195.
• Crisci, J.V. & T.F. Stuessy. 1981. Un estudio taxonomico-numerico del genero Melampodium (Compositae, Heliantheae). XVIII Jornadas Argentinas de Botanica. San Miguel de Tucuman, Tucuman, Argentina, 4/7-V-1981. Abstract, pp. 53–54.
• Stuessy, T.F. & J.V. Crisci. 1983. Phenetics of Melampodium (Compositae, Heliantheae). The Ohio Academy of Science, 92nd Annual Meeting Bowling Green State University. Ohio, USA, 22/24-IV-1983.
• Bohm, B.A., and Stuessy, T.F. 1992. Flavonoid variation in Melampodium (Asteraceae). Biochem. Syst. & Ecol. 19: 677–679.
• Seaman Fred C. – Fischer Nikolaus H. – Longipin, a new Melampolide from Melampodium longipes,1979