BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Uropappus lindleyi
Lindley's microseris
| Scientific Name: | Uropappus lindleyi (DC.) Nutt. | ||||||||||
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| Scientific Name Synonyms: |
Microseris lindleyi
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| English Name: | Lindley's microseris | ||||||||||
| English Name Synonyms: |
Lindley's false silverpuffs
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| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vascular Plant | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | UROPLIN | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Mar 2025) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S1S2 (Apr 2019) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Red | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | Endangered (Mar 2008) | ||||||||||
| COSEWIC Comments: | COSEWIC uses the name Uropappus lindleyi and the English common name Lindley's false silverpuffs. The BC CDC tracks the taxon as Microseris lindleyi, common name Lindley's microseris. | ||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | 1 - Endangered (Feb 2010) | ||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 1 - At Risk (2010) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Technical Description: | |||||||||||
| Subspecies Comments: | No subspecies of Microseris lindleyi are recognized in B.C. | ||||||||||
| Identification Comments: | Microseris lindleyi is a taprooted annual with erect glabrous stems that are leafy below and sometimes branched near the base. Plants are 10-70 cm tall. Basal leaves are 15-30 cm long, linear, and long-pointed at the tip, entire or more frequently with linear swept-back lobes. Stem leaves are usually linear, entire, and occur near the base of the stems. The foliage exudes a milky juice when broken. Flowering stems emerge from the base of the axils of the stem leaves. Plants have solitary and terminal heads that are comprised of yellow, strap-shaped flowers. Flowers are enclosed in a 15-30 mm tall involucre of lanceolate bracts, the inner ones graduated and outer ones few and somewhat graduated. Fruits are slender, blackish, and finely ribbed achenes. Achenes are 7-17 mm long, tapered at the base, and crowned by a pappus of five linear scales, each terminating in a shorter hair-like bristle that arises from a distinct bifid notch in the scale tip (Douglas et al. 1998b; Douglas and Smith 2004h). | ||||||||||
| Similar Species: | There are three species of Microseris in B.C. that could be confused with Microseris lindleyi: M. borealis, M. nutans, and M. bigelovii. M. borealis and M. nutans are perennials which have more conspicuous ray flowers that well exceed the involucre, whereas M. lindleyi and M. bigelovii are annuals which have inconspicuous ray flowers that equal or barely exceed the involucre. M. lindleyi has linear pappus scales, each terminating in a short hair-like bristle that arises from a distinctly bifid notched scale tip, and has stems that are leafy below and branched at or near the base. In contrast, M. bigelovii has lanceolate pappus scales, each terminating in a long hair-like bristle that arises from a pointed scale, and has leafless, unbranched stems. Other species of the Lactuceae tribe are also morphologically similar, but only M. lindleyi has the hair-like bristle arising from a distinct, bifid notch in the scale-tip of the pappus (Douglas and Smith 2004h). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Reproduction Comments: | Asexual reproduction does not occur in Microseris lindleyi. Because it is an annual plant, M. lindleyi depends on successful sexual reproduction for its persistence. Flowering occurs in April and May and is asynchronous (e.g., unopened flowers occur next to flowers in seed). Pollinators are not known for M. lindleyi. The number of populations and subpopulations, defined by rate of gene exchange via seed movement and pollen exchange, is difficult to establish. Seed dispersal between patches is probably restricted to fairly short distances. Most populations are isolated from each other by distances of 10-15 km and by water bodies that are more than 1 km wide (Douglas and Smith 2004h). Self-pollination (autogamy) is known to be common in M. lindleyi, but it is not clear how frequently outcrossing occurs. Genetic variation within and among populations has not been studied, and it is not known if B.C. populations are distinct from U.S. populations. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Ecology Comments: | Little biological or ecological research has been conducted on Microseris lindleyi (Douglas and Smith 2004h). Specific factors affecting population survival, population age structure, recruitment rate, seedling survival rates, mortality rates, and growth rates are not known. Germination requirements are also not known. Fairbarns et al. (2004b) reported that Microseris bigelovii, another southwestern B.C. species, shows no dormancy and has a high rate of germination. Achenes of M. lindleyi are likely dispersed by wind and gravity over short to moderate distances (Douglas and Smith 2004h). Occasionally, achenes may be transported long distances by wind currents or by birds. Bristle-tipped pappus scales may catch on bird feathers and be dispersed long distances. Heavily grazed plants of M. lindleyi have been observed by M. Fairbarns (pers. comm. in Douglas and Smith 2004h), but no evidence of herbivory or disease was noted during field sampling by Douglas and Smith (2004h). There is no information about the effects of competition from introduced species or other interspecific interactions. | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Forest / Conifer Forest - Dry / Unknown
Forest / Deciduous/Broadleaf Forest / Unknown Grassland/Shrub / Meadow / Unknown Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Cliff / Unknown Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Garry Oak Coastal Bluffs / Unknown |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Microseris lindleyi grows in grasslands, shrub steppe, open oak woodlands, chaparral, coastal scrub, deserts, road banks, serpentine gravels, and sandy desert flats, usually well drained soils on slopes (FNA 2006). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Habitat Comments: | Microseris lindleyi occurs in a number of different habitats in B.C., including sandstone cliffs, steep grassy slopes, and xeric, open deciduous or conifer forests on rocky slopes and cliffs (Douglas and Smith 2004h). M. lindleyi grows in crevices and on ledges of sandstone cliffs along with Bromus sitchensis, Camassia leichtlinii, and Sedum spathulatum. Associated species on steep grassy slopes are mostly introduced species such as Aira praecox, Bromus rigidus, B. sterilis, Cytisus scoparius and Daucus pusillus. Dry open forests can be dominated by Quercus garryana or can be mixed woodland types with an overstory of Pseudotsuga menziesii, Arbutus menziesii, and Quercus garryana. These forest types occur on south- or southwest-facing, steep (70-90%), well-drained, gravelly or rocky slopes. Prominent native species in the understories of these mixed forests include Elymus glauca, Lomatium utriculatum, and Selaginella wallacei, while B. sterilis, A. praecox, Cynosurus cristata, and C. scoparius are common introduced species (Douglas and Smith 2004h). All M. lindleyi populations in B.C. are found at low elevations (0-80 m) in or near Garry oak and associated ecosystems in the dry Coastal Douglas-fir zone (CDFmm) of southeastern Vancouver Island and adjacent Gulf Islands (Douglas et al. 2002). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
Mar: Vegetative, Germinating / Vegetative, Germinating
Apr: Vegetative, Germinating, Flowering / Vegetative, Germinating, Flowering May: Vegetative, Flowering / Vegetative, Flowering Jun: Vegetative / Vegetative, Fruiting |
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| Provincial Phenology Comments: | Douglas and Smith (2004h) reported limited information on the phenology of Microseris lindleyi. Flowering occurs from mid-April to mid-May, and seed production occurs from mid-May to June, but germinating and vegetative periods were not specified. Douglas and Smith (2004h) estimated that the generation time of M. lindleyi is 3-4 months. Based on this estimate, it was inferred that germination occurs in March and April, but there is no observational or experimental information available to confirm this. | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): | Provincial: 4 / 80 | ||||||||||
| Known Pests: | |||||||||||
| Pollen Vector: | |||||||||||
| Pollinator: | |||||||||||
| Dispersal: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Inventory | |||||||||||
| Inventory Priority: | C - Moderate | ||||||||||
| Ownership of occurrences (Known locations): | Mostly private | ||||||||||
| Inventory Need: | Because Microseris lindleyi is found in steep, somewhat inaccessible microhabitats, new populations may be discovered (Douglas and Smith 2004h). Smaller, infrequently visited Gulf Islands and shorelines of southeast Vancouver Island that are difficult to access have not been thoroughly searched by botanists. It is likely, however, that further inventories will not yield many new populations. | ||||||||||
| Inventory Comments: | Casual surveys for Microseris lindleyi over the past 30 years have identified few populations. An intensive search for M. lindleyi on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands (Galiano, Saturna, Mayne, Saltspring, South Pender, and Tree Islands) was undertaken in 2003 and 2004 by G.W. Douglas, S.J. Smith, and H. Janszen (Douglas and Smith 2004h). Approximately 22 of the locations that were searched did not harbour M. lindleyi. | ||||||||||
| Economic Attributes | |||||||||||
| Provincial Economic Comments: | There are no known economic, cultural, medicinal, or spiritual uses for Microseris lindleyi. Douglas and Smith (2004h) noted that M. lindleyi seeds are sold in California, although its horticultural uses were not known. | ||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Microseris lindleyi is found commonly across the southwestern United States from California to New Mexico and in northwestern Mexico. Scattered populations are found in dry areas of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Vancouver Island, British Columbia (FNA 2006, RARECAT 2025). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1994 and 2025 (RARECAT 2024, GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025). | ||||||||||
| Disjunct, more common elsewhere: | Y | ||||||||||
| Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere: | Y | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Johnson, J. (2025) | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Mar 27, 2025 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | Bartemucci, P. and S. Hartwell | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Jan 24, 2008 | ||||||||||
| Last Literature Search: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
COSEWIC. 2008j. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Lindley's false silverpuffs Uropappus lindleyi in Canada. Comm. on the Status of Endangered Wildl. in Can. Ottawa. vii + 22 pp. Available online( |
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Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Penny. 2002. Rare Native Vascular Plants of British Columbia, 2nd ed. B.C. Conserv. Data Centre, Terrestrial Inf. Branch, Victoria. 358pp. |
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Douglas, G.W., G.D. Straley, and D. Meidinger, eds. 1998b. Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, Vol. 1, Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons (Aceraceae through Asteraceae). B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, Wildl. Branch, and B.C. Minist. For. Res. Program. 436pp. |
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Fairbarns, M., A. MacDougall, A. Ceska and O. Ceska. 2004. COSEWIC status report on Coastal Silverpuffs, Microseris bigelovii, prepared for Comm. on the Status of Endangered Wildl. in Can. Funding provided by the Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team and the BC Conservation Data Centre. 20 pp. |
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Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2006a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 19. Magnoliophyta: Asteridae, part 6: Asteraceae, part 1. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 579 pp. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2025. Species Summary: Uropappus lindleyi. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 5, 2026).