Melampodium leucanthum, the plains blackfoot or blackfoot daisy, is an herbaceous perennial plant in the family Asteraceae found on limestone-containing rocky slopes in the Sonoran Desert.Sonoran Desert Wildflowers, Richard Spellenberg, 2nd ed., 2012, It is an attractive ornamental with showy flowers and long bloom period, from March to November.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
⚠ sources differ — GIFT: herb · TRY: Subshrub, Forb/herb
Woodinessvariable
03Chemical composition152 compounds
Compounds documented for Melampodium leucanthum across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Melampodium leucanthum has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens15
Marker genes5
GenBank sequences10
eDNA detections9
Countries1
The DNA barcodea real sequence read deposited for this species
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★matK5★rbcL3★ITS2★ITS2trnH-psbA
plant barcodefungal barcodemarker
06Genome at a glanceCCDB · GoaT
The complete instruction manualMelampodium leucanthum carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Genome size3 344 760 000 bp
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
BACTERIUM Carsonella ruddii0.00016 Gb
FUNGUS0.04 Gb
INSECT0.25 Gb
HUMAN3.2 Gb
THIS GENOME Melampodium leucanthum3.34 Gb
WHEAT17 Gb
FERN Tmesipteris160.45 Gb
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
CCDB · kew — Rebernig CA, Weiss-Schneeweiss H, Blöch C, Turner B, Stuessy TF, Obermayer Re, Villaseñor JL, Schneeweiss GM. 2012. The evolutionary history of the white-rayed species of Melampodium (Asteraceae) involved multiple cycles of hybridization and polyploidi
CCDB · kew — Rebernig CA, Weiss-Schneeweiss H, Blöch C, Turner B, Stuessy TF, Obermayer Re, Villaseñor JL, Schneeweiss GM. 2012. The evolutionary history of the white-rayed species of Melampodium (Asteraceae) involved multiple cycles of hybridization and polyploidi
CCDB · ipcn-api-dl — Powell, A. M. & S. A. Powell. 1978. Chromosome Numbers in Asteraceae. Madroño 25(3): 160–169.
CCDB · ipcn-api-dl — Ward, D. E. 1981. In Chromosome number reports LXXIII. Taxon 30: 844–845.
CCDB · ipcn-api-dl — Pinkava, D. J. & D. J. Keil. 1977. Chromosome counts of Compositae from the United States and Mexico. Amer. J. Bot. 64: 680–686.
CCDB · ipcn-api-dl — Powell, A. M. & S. A. POWELL. 1977. Chromosome numbers of gypsophilious plant species of the Chibuahuan Desert. Sida 7: 80–90.
CCDB · ipcn-api-dl — Keil, D. J. & D. J. Pinkava. 1976. Chromosome counts and taxonomic notes for Compositae from the United States and Mexico. Amer. J. Bot. 63: 1393–1403.
CCDB · ipcn-api-dl — Stuessy, T. F., H. Weiss-Schneeweiss & D. J. Keil. 2004. Diploid and polyploid cytotype distribution in Melampodium cinereum and M. leucanthum (Asteraceae, Heliantheae). Amer. J. Bot. 91: 889–898.
CCDB · book-ipcn72 — SOLBRIG, O.T., D.W. KYHOS, M. POWELL, & P.H. RAVEN. 1972. Chromosome numbers in Compositae VIII: Heliantheae. Amer. J. Bot. 59: 869-878.
CCDB · book-ipcn67-71 — POWELL, A.M. & s. SIKES. 1970. Chromosome numbers of some chihuahuan desert Compositae. Southw. Naturalist 15: 175-186.
Ploidy records — measured levels and diploid/polyploid inferences · click for sources
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy86% within 1 km
≤100 m 4 531≤1 km 854≤10 km 323>10 km 527
6 235 georeferenced · 1 451 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor7 686
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy49% within 1 km
≤100 m 130≤1 km 407≤10 km 422>10 km 137
1 096 georeferenced · 974 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence2 070
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions60 of 79 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
ASUlocation not on record
238
Bronx, US
206
Wuzhou, CN
205
Albuquerque, US
203
Austin, US
145
DOI/NPS, Greenbelt Parklocation not on record
105
Phoenix, US
99
EL PASO, US
91
Fort Worth, US
87
Lubbock, US
80
Flagstaff, US
79
DOI/NPS, Colonial National Historical Parklocation not on record
57
Denver, US
47
Musee des Dinosaures d'Esperaza (Aude)location not on record
40
Riverside, US
34
San Angelo, US
24
Austin, US
23
Mexico City, MX
20
Emporia, US
16
Saint Louis, US
13
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
11
Bangkok, TH
11
USFSlocation not on record
10
Bloomington, US
9
Pittsburg, US
8
Stephenville, US
7
Claremont, US
7
Davis, US
7
San Luis Obispo, US
6
Chongqing Museumlocation not on record
5
Provo, US
5
Burlington, US
5
Hermosillo, MX
4
Ciudad Juárez, MX
3
Henderson, US
3
Denton, US
3
AUAlocation not on record
3
Santa Barbara, US
3
CASlocation not on record
2
Arizona Western Collegelocation not on record
2
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural Historylocation not on record
2
Stockholm, SE
2
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Sciencelocation not on record
2
Guasave, MX
2
Clemson, US
2
Durango, MX
2
Grand Junction, US
2
Angwin, US
2
Fayetteville, US
1
Durango, US
1
Lincoln, US
1
Madison, US
1
Feira de Santana, BR
1
Wlocation not on record
1
Taipei, TW
1
Tuscaloosa, US
1
Severin-McDaniel Insect Collectionlocation not on record
1
Pocatello, US
1
San Francisco, US
1
US
1
US
1
Columbia, US
1
Baltimore, US
1
Laboratorio de Ictiologialocation not on record
1
Mérida, MX
1
Florida Museum of Natural History- Zoology, Paleontology & Paleobotanylocation not on record
1
Chadron, US
1
Moscow, US
1
cslocation not on record
1
Bourges, FR
1
LDlocation not on record
1
San Diego, US
1
New Brunswick, US
1
Little Rock, US
1
Minia, EG
1
Waverly, US
1
Orem, US
1
Museo naturalistico del Frignano Ferruccio Minghellilocation not on record
1
Mississippi State, US
1
79 institutions · 1 973 of 2 070 vouchered records shown · 92 without an institution code
09Environmental DNA9 detections
Where the DNA of Melampodium leucanthum was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found9
Studies independent surveys1
Countries1
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 9 detections have coordinates
Open the map1 country0
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
Modelled climatemodelled
−15°Ctemperature across detection sites+40°C
Temperature median12.5 °C 12.5–26.7
Seasonal swing summer↔winter27.0 °C
Max temp (day)18.4 °C 18.4–32.5
Min temp (night)8.20 °C 8.20–20.7
Precipitation79.6 mm/mo 56.6–79.6
Air humidity57.3 % 49.7–57.3
Moisture balance-38.4 mm/mo -131–-38.4
Vapour deficit733 Pa 733–1,782
Wind speed5.80 m/s 3.70–5.80
Cloud cover36.7 % 23.7–36.7
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 7 detection points · median with p10–p90 · reflects where sampling happened, not only the true niche
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation4 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility9 770 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI9 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics15 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗