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Two-flower Dwarf-dandelion

Krigia biflora

Summary 3

Krigia biflora, also known as Two-Flower Cynthia or Two-Flower Dwarf Dandelion, is a flower of the Asteraceae (Aster) family. It is native to the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario; and it is native to the U.S. states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkiansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. Two-flowered Cynthia

Comments 4

The flowerheads and foliage of this wildflower are quite attractive. Most members of the Aster family with dandelion-like flowerheads (including other Krigia spp. in Illinois) have yellow ray florets, but the ray florets of Two-Flowered Cynthia often have an orange tint. Two-Flowered Cynthia has larger flowerheads (1" across or more), longer floral bracts (1/3" or more), and its achenes have more bristly hairs (20 or more) than either Krigia virginica or Krigia caespitosa (both annuals). Another species, Krigia dandelion (Potato Dandelion) has unbranched flowering stalks that each produce a single flowerhead. In contrast, Two-Flowered Cynthia has flowering stalks that branch above their uppermost cauline leaves, each stalk producing 2-5 flowerheads on separate peduncles.

Faunal associations 5

The flowerheads attract long-tongued bees (bumblebees, honeybees, Little Carpenter bees, Cuckoo bees, Mason bees), short-tongued bees (Halictid bees, Masked bees), predatory wasps, flies (Syrphid, Tachinid, & others), butterflies, skippers, and beetles. These insects suck nectar, collect pollen, or feed on pollen from the flowerheads. An oligolectic visitor, Andrena krigiana (Krigia Andrenid Bee), is specifically attracted to the flowerheads of Krigia spp. In addition to these floral visitors, an aphid, Uroleucon brachychaetum, sucks plant juices from these plants. Thus far, I have not observed any evidence that White-Tailed Deer feed on the foliage of Two-Flowered Cynthia, which contains a bitter white latex, although I would not rule out this possibility. Photographic Location

Flower visiting insects of two flowered cynthia in illinois 6

Krigia biflora (Two-Flowered Cynthia)
(Bees collect pollen or suck nectar; beetles feed on pollen & are non-pollinating; other insects suck nectar; observations are from Robertson, Moure & Hurd, Swengel & Swengel, and Grundel et al. as indicated below)

Bees (long-tongued)
Apidae (Apinae): Apis mellifera sn cp fq (Rb); Apidae (Bombini): Bombus fraternus sn (Rb), Bombus griseocollis sn (Rb), Bombus pensylvanicus sn (Rb); Anthophoridae (Ceratinini): Ceratina dupla dupla sn cp fq (Rb), Ceratina strenua (Gnd); Anthophoridae (Epeolini): Epeolus interruptus sn (Rb); Anthophoridae (Eucerini): Synhalonia speciosa sn fq (Rb); Anthophoridae (Nomadini): Nomada affabilis sn fq (Rb), Nomada articulata sn fq (Rb), Nomada illinoiensis sn (Rb), Nomada lepida sn (Gnd), Nomada superba superba sn fq (Rb); Megachilidae (Coelioxini): Coelioxys octodentata sn (Rb); Megachilidae (Megachilini): Megachile brevis brevis sn (Rb); Megachilidae (Osmiini): Chelostoma philadelphi (Gnd), Hoplitis pilosifrons sn fq (Rb), Osmia bucephala (Gnd), Osmia georgica sn cp (Rb, Gnd), Osmia pumila sn (Rb, Gnd); Megachilidae (Stelidini): Stelis lateralis sn (Rb)

Bees (short-tongued)
Halictidae (Halictinae): Agapostemon virescens sn cp (Rb), Augochlora pura (Gnd), Augochlorella aurata sn cp fq (Rb, Gnd), Augochlorella striata sn cp fq (Rb), Halictus confusus (Rb), Halictus ligatus sn cp fq (Rb, Gnd), Halictus parallelus sn (Rb), Halictus rubicundus sn (Rb), Lasioglossum albipennis sn cp fq (Rb), Lasioglossum callidum (Gnd), Lasioglossum coreopsis sn cp (Rb), Lasioglossum leucozonium (Gnd), Lasioglossum lustrans (Gnd), Lasioglossum pectorale sn cp (Rb, Gnd), Lasioglossum pilosus pilosus sn cp fq (Rb), Lasioglossum truncatus (MH), Lasioglossum versatum sn cp fq (Rb, Gnd); Colletidae (Colletinae): Colletes aestivalis sn cp (Rb); Colletidae (Hylaeinae): Hylaeus affinis fp (Rb), Hylaeus mesillae sn fp (Rb); Andrenidae (Andreninae): Andrena geranii (Gnd), Andrena krigiana sn cp fq olg (Rb)

Wasps
Sphecidae (Crabroninae): Lestica confluentus (Rb); Sphecidae (Sphecinae): Ammophila kennedyi (Rb), Ammophila pictipennis (Rb); Vespidae (Eumeninae): Euodynerus foraminatus (Rb), Leionotus scrophulariae (Rb, MS), Leionotus ziziae (Rb, MS), Stenodynerus ammonia (Rb), Stenodynerus anormis fq (Rb), Stenodynerus histrionalis (Rb)

Flies
Syrphidae: Eristalis arbustorum (Rb), Eristalis dimidiatus (Rb), Eristalis stipator (Rb), Eristalis tenax (Rb), Eristalis transversus (Rb), Helophilus fasciatus (Rb), Helophilus latifrons (Rb), Sphaerophoria contiqua (Rb), Toxomerus marginatus fq (Rb), Tropidia mamillata (Rb); Conopidae: Thecophora occidensis (Rb), Zodion fulvifrons (Rb); Tachinidae: Cylindromyia euchenor (Rb), Gymnoclytia immaculata (Rb), Gymnoclytia occidua (Rb); Muscidae: Neomyia cornicina (Rb); Fanniidae: Fannia manicata fq (Rb)

Butterflies
Nymphalidae: Phyciodes tharos (Rb); Lycaenidae: Lycaeides melissa samuelis (Sw); Pieridae: Colias philodice (Rb); Papilionidae: Papilio polyxenes asterius (Rb)

Skippers
Hesperiidae: Polites peckius (Rb)

Beetles
Chrysomelidae: Diabrotica undecimpunctata fp np fq (Rb); Coccinellidae: Coleomegilla maculata fp np (Rb); Languriidae: Languria mozardi fp np fq (Rb)

Plant Bugs
Lygaeidae: Lygaeus turcicus (Rb)

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Joshua Mayer, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/8584048@N05/5835144122
  2. (c) Steven J. Baskauf, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://bioimages.vanderbilt.edu/baskauf/22138
  3. Adapted by Jonathan (JC) Carpenter from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krigia_biflora
  4. (c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29443458
  5. (c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29443457
  6. (c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/32220744

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