fineleaf fournerve daisy, Tetraneuris linearifolia

How many flowers do you see? The answer is a couple thousand. Each of those flower heads can have over 200 flowers, up to 25 rays and 200 disc flowers. Dry lands in the west have an abundance of species in the aster family. The ability to produce large numbers of flowers and seeds on a short notice seems to be a reason. Of course it's not the only answer. The mustard family is also well represented, and those have only one flower per head, but many ovaries and seeds. So do plants with only one or a few ovaries per flower have a disadvantage? Tell that to the grasses! So why are there so many aster family species? The original answer still applies, and the other families have different answers. For instance grasses take advantage of abundant winds for pollination. Fineleaf fournerve daisies grow in dry lands of KS, NM, OK, and TX. Travis Co TX, 4/17/22. Aster family, Asteraceae.