[Dustymaidens: The Genus Chaenactis East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]
Douglas' Dustymaidens, Dustymaidens, Dusty Maidens, Hoary False Yarrow
Chaenactis douglasii var. douglasii
Synonyms: Chaenactis douglasii var. achilleaefolia, Chaenactis douglasii var. achilleifolia, Chaenactis douglasii var. montana, Chaenactis douglasii var. rubricaulis, Chaenactis pedicularis, Chaenactis ramosa, Chaenactis rubricaulis
The photo above shows a close-up of the flower head of hoary flase yarrow as seen from steep ash slopes above the John Day River along Oregon Highway 19 at milepost 80 in central Oregon............May 28, 2007.
The photo at right
shows the seed head of the hoary false yarrow.
Characteristics:
Hoary false yarrow is an upright wildflower with cottony, lacy
pinnate leaves. The one to several stems are erect, relatively straight, and
often unbranched. Plants arise 10-60 cm in height. The leaves are bipinnate
to pinnately dissected (See photo below). The leaf segments are thick and curled,
so the leaves do not look flat.
The inflorescence is a flat-topped corymb. There are several
to many white or pink-tinged disk flowers which look like pincushions. Individual
plants grow up to 1.5 feet tall. Flowers from May into September.
Varieties of Hoary False Yarrow:
var. douglasii - Found across the range of the species although largely replaced by variety glandulosa in the Blue Mts.
var. glandulosa - Found across the Blue Mts. of northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.
Habitat:
Hoary false yarrow may be found on dry, rocky or sandy soils
from the lowlands to timberline in the mountains.
Range:
Hoary false yarrow may be found from southern British Columbia
to southern California, east of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada ranges, east to
Colorado and northern Arizona.
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Hoary false yarrow as seen at left along US Highway 395 in Silvies Valley, central Oregon..........August 8, 2014.
The photo at right shows hoary false yarrow blooming along the Fremont National Recreation Trail on the east side of Crook Peak, Fremont-Winema National Forest......July 17, 2022.
The photo above shows a close-up of the involucral bracts of hoary false yarrow as seen from steep ash slopes above the John Day River along Oregon Highway 19 at milepost 80 in central Oregon........May 28, 2007. Note how densely hairy the bracts are.
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The photo at left shows the basal leaf rosette and lower stem leaves of hoary false yarrow as observed on ashy, alkaline soils along the Pinnacles Trail several miles downstream along the John Day River from the campground at Cottonwood Canyon State Park......March 5, 2020. The photo at right shows the attractive rosette of basal leaves of hoary false yarrow as seen in the Columbia Hills........July 7, 2006. This two is a second year plant which will die once it has flowered and set seed during the summer of it's second year.
The photo above shows hoary flase yarrow as seen from steep, ash slopes above the John Day River along Oregon Highway 19 at milepost 80 in central Oregon.........May 28, 2007.
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Dustymaidens as seen near the shoreline of Banks Lake at the Million Dollar Boat Launch, Grant County, Washington..........June 2, 2013.
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Dustymaidens blooming on Bickleton Ridge in the Bickleton Ridge Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area........June 17, 2017.
Paul Slichter