[Members of the Sunflower Family with
Button-like Flower Heads in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]
Columbia Goldenweed, Large-flowered Goldenweed, Rayless Goldenweed
Pyrrocoma carthamoides var. carthamoides
Synonyms: Haplopappus
carthamoides ssp. carthamoides, Haplopappus carthamoides ssp. rigidus, Haplopappus carthamoides var. carthamoides
The photo above shows a close-up view of the flower head of large-flowered goldenweed as seen from the Columbia Hills...............July 7, 2006.
Characteristics:
Large-flowered goldenweed is a prostrate, perennial wildflower
with one to several stems, large oblanceolate leaves, and wide flower heads
surrounded by widely triangular bracts. The stems range from 5-60 cm in length.
The basal leaves are tufted, spiny-toothed to entire, and generally 5-40 cm
long and 5-40 mm wide. The stems may sometimes be very leafy, or instead, may
show a reduction of leaf size and number up the stem.
The flower heads are solitary, yellow, and have both disk and
ray flowers. The 0-30 ray flowers may not be readily noticeable, and may measure
up to 7 mm long. The very numerous disk flowers range from 10-14 mm long. Blooms
from late June into early August.
Habitat:
Large-flowered goldenweed is found on rocky flats and open,
rocky or graveled slopes, often with sagebrush or in forest openings.
Range:
Large-flowered goldenweed is found mostly east of the Cascade
summits of Washington and Oregon, to northwest Montana, central and southwest
Idaho, and northeast Nevada.
In the Columbia River Gorge, it is found between the elevations
of 400'-3000' near Hood River, OR and hence east.
Columbia goldenweed blooming near Klickitat Breaks Road in the Klickitat Wildlife Area..........June 30, 2014.
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These photos show close-ups of the large, ovate-shaped involucral bracts andthe rough, glaucous stem leaves of large-flowered goldenweed. Photographed in the Columbia Hills..........July 7, 2006.
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A close-up of a seed head of large-flowered goldenweed as seen at left along trails above the Crawford Oaks trailhead, Columbia Hills State Park.........October 2, 2016. The photo at right shows senesced large-flowered goldenweed observed along trails above the Crawford Oaks trailhead, Columbia Hills State Park.........November 11, 2019.
Paul Slichter