Anisocoma Acaulis, Scale Bud

Flowers of anisocoma acaulis are borne on leafless stems rising a few inches from a basal rosette of narrow, grey-green, pinnately lobed leaves, which rest on the ground. Like other dandelion-type plants, the stems exude a milky sap if cut. The smooth, hairless, blunt-tipped phyllaries, clearly seen on the outside of the scale-like buds and below the opened flowerhead, are quite distinctive; they are mostly pale green but darker green towards the center, red to purple along the upper edge, and with a broad purple stripe down the center. They may also have a few irregularly arranged purple dots.

Flowerheads consist of ray florets only, pale yellow in color but darker yellow towards the base. Floret tips are flat, with four little notches. Flowers stay open only during daylight. Heads are one to two inches in diameter, with rays that become much smaller towards the center. This is a species of arid environments, found in the Mojave, Sonoran and Great Basin deserts