Pterocaulon virgatum, common name wand blackroot, is a plant species widespread in Latin America and in the West Indies. In the contiguous United States, it has been reported only from Texas and Louisiana.Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesTexas A&M University, Oak Trust, Department of Biology It grows in marshy areas, ditches, sandy loam, etc.Flora of North America v 19 p 477.Cabrera, A. L. and A. M. Ragonese. 1978. Revisión del género Pterocaulon (Compositae). Darwiniana 21: 185–257. Pterocaulon virgatum is a perennial herb up to 150 cm (60 inches) tall. Leaves are alternate, narrowly linear, green above, white with dense woolly hairs below. Flower heads are arranged in spikes at the ends of branches. There are no ray flowers, only 25-50 yellow disc flowers per head.Candolle, Augustin Pyramus de. Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis 5: 454. 1836.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Compounds documented for Pterocaulon virgatum across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
Compound class profile5 classes
Abietane diterpenoids42
Labdane diterpenoids19
Labdane diterpenoids $ Norlabdane diterpenoids18
Eudesmane sesquiterpenoids18
Flavones14
Documented compounds275 total
Compound
Class
Amount
Source
(+)-1(10),4-Cadinadiene
present
NPASS
(+)-alpha-Pinene
present
NPASS
(+)-Copalol
present
NPASS
(+)-Delta-cadinol
present
NPASS
(+)-gamma-Eudesmol
present
NPASS
(+)-Isocupressic acid
present
NPASS
(+)-Isomenthone
present
NPASS
(+)-taxifolin
present
NPASS
(+)-Totarol
present
NPASS
(-)-Hinokiresinol
present
NPASS
05DNA & barcoding1 sequences
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 Pterocaulon virgatum has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
Marker genes1
GenBank sequences1
eDNA detections6
Countries1
The DNA barcodea real sequence read deposited for this species
Pterocaulon virgatum genomic DNA sequence contains ITS1, 5.8S rRNA gene, ITS2, specimen voucher Novara 3715 (S)
Marker genes sequenced
★ 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.
★ITS1
fungal barcode
06Genome at a glanceCCDB
The complete instruction manualPterocaulon virgatum 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.
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.
Chromosomes2n = 20 n = 10
Ploidydiploid inferred
Chromosome-count records — grouped by value · 2n = full set, n = gamete · click a value for sources & references
n 102×CCDB · croinout · CCDB · ipcn-api-dl
CCDB · croinout — Waisman, C. E., Rozenblum, E. & Hunziker, J. H. 1984
CCDB · ipcn-api-dl — Waisman, C. E., E. Rozenblum & J. H. Hunziker. 1984. Estudios cariológicos en Compositae I. Darwiniana 25: 217–226.
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 accuracy88% within 1 km
≤100 m 181≤1 km 31≤10 km 10>10 km 20
242 georeferenced · 102 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor344
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 accuracy32% within 1 km
≤100 m 10≤1 km 11≤10 km 29>10 km 16
66 georeferenced · 282 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence348
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 institutions45 of 89 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
San Isidro, AR
33
Austin, US
29
UFBAlocation not on record
21
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
15
Saint Louis, US
13
Bronx, US
12
Chongqing Museumlocation not on record
11
Fort Worth, US
10
UNICAMPlocation not on record
10
Corrientes, AR
9
JBRJlocation not on record
8
Laboratory of Palaeontologylocation not on record
7
Universidad de Antioquia (UdeA)location not on record
7
Castelar, AR
6
Salvador, BR
6
UEMlocation not on record
5
Córdoba, AR
5
BAYLUlocation not on record
5
US
5
CEPLAClocation not on record
5
Durango, MX
5
Masindi, UG
4
UFMSlocation not on record
4
Universidade de São Paulolocation not on record
4
Paleontological Collectionlocation not on record
4
Kew, GB
4
San Jose State University, Museum of Birds and Mammalslocation not on record
4
Jataí / Setor Industrial, BR
3
Universidad de Caldas (UCaldas)location not on record
3
CJBGlocation not on record
3
FUNEDlocation not on record
3
IPA/SPlocation not on record
3
Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS)location not on record
3
Uberlândia, BR
3
Istituto Agrario Castelnuovolocation not on record
3
Mexico City, MX
2
Glocation not on record
2
Universidad Nacional de Asunciónlocation not on record
2
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, AR
2
Brasília, BR
2
Chapel Hill, US
2
Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL)location not on record
2
Cenargenlocation not on record
2
Miami, US
2
Bloomington, US
2
Clemson, US
2
Laboratorio de Ictiologialocation not on record
2
Albuquerque, US
1
Ural Federal University "B. N. Yeltsin"location not on record
1
Feira de Santana, BR
1
Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldilocation not on record
1
Denver, US
1
UDESC-CAVlocation not on record
1
UFSJlocation not on record
1
UnBlocation not on record
1
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, BO
1
Chicago, US
1
Berlin, DE
1
CASlocation not on record
1
San Angelo, US
1
Cambridge, US
1
Centro de Estudios y Colecciones Biológicas para la Conservaciónlocation not on record
1
La Paz, BO
1
Instituto para la Investigación y la Preservación del Patrimonio Cultural y Natural del Valle del Cauca - INCIVAlocation not on record
1
Universidad de Buenos Aireslocation not on record
1
Maringá, BR
1
Oskarshamn, SE
1
Wuzhou, CN
1
Campo Mourão, BR
1
Burlington, US
1
Salta, AR
1
Museum of Zoologylocation not on record
1
UNITINSlocation not on record
1
Lake Charles, US
1
Lubbock, US
1
Campo Grande, BR
1
South Kensington, GB
1
Instituto para la Investigación y la Preservación del Patrimonio Cultural y Natural del Valle del Cauca - INCIVAlocation not on record
1
Jardín Botánico de Cartagena "Guillermo Piñeres" (JBC)location not on record
1
St. Paul, US
1
JBPlocation not on record
1
Entomological Society of Latvialocation not on record
1
EL PASO, US
1
Bangkok, TH
1
UFMGlocation not on record
1
UFESlocation not on record
1
UTFPR-CPlocation not on record
1
UNESP-RClocation not on record
1
Little Rock, US
1
89 institutions · 341 of 348 vouchered records shown · 7 without an institution code
09Environmental DNA6 detections
Where the DNA of Pterocaulon virgatum 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 found6
Studies independent surveys1
Countries1
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 6 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 median17.2 °C 17.2–19.1
Seasonal swing summer↔winter12.3 °C
Max temp (day)21.6 °C 21.6–23.7
Min temp (night)13.5 °C 13.5–14.8
Precipitation126 mm/mo 126–147
Air humidity61.4 % 60.1–61.4
Moisture balance39.0 mm/mo 24.5–39.0
Vapour deficit754 Pa 754–887
Wind speed4.00 m/s 4.00–4.40
Cloud cover35.6 % 35.6–36.1
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 6 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 Foundation2 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility693 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI6 eDNA detections↗
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↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗