[Members of the Sunflower Family with
Button-like (Discoid) Flower Heads in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]
Douglas' Dustymaiden, Dustymaidens, Hoary False Yarrow
Chaenactis douglasii var. douglasii
Synonyms: Chaenactis douglasii var. achilleaefolia, Chaenactis douglasii var. montana, Chaenactis rubricaulis
The photo above shows the involucral bracts of hoary flase yarrow as seen from the Columbia Hills to the northeast of The Dalles, OR............July 7, 2006.
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.
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.
In the Columbia River Gorge, it is found east of Bingen, WA
at altitudes between 100'-2400'.
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The photo at left shows a close-up of the disk flowers of hoary false yarrow as seen in the Columbia Hills..........July 7, 2006. The photo at right shows a close-up of the flower head of hoary false yarrow as seen on scablands along Box Canyon Road about 1.5 miles west of Box Canyon, East Simcoe Mountains Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area......May 23, 2020.
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Hoary false yarrow as seen on a bald near Klickitat Breaks Road in the Klickitat Wildlife Area...........June 30, 2014.
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The photo above left shows the attractive rosette of basal leaves of hoary false yarrow as seen in the Columbia Hills........July 7, 2006. The photo at centert was taken at the same location...........January 19, 2015. The photo at right shows the basal leaf rosette as seen on open slopes along Stacker Butte Road at Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve.........February 2, 2016. The plant at top is a first year plant, while the bottom rosette is from a second year plant that will flower this spring.
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Two examples of the attractive basal leaf rosettes of dustymaidens as seen on rocky slopes above the Crawford Oaks Trailhead at Columbia Hills Historical State Park......December 31, 2022.
Paul Slichter