[Wildflowers with Flowerheads Like Daisies in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]
Narrowleaf Goldenweed, Narrowleaf Mock Goldenweed
Nestotus stenophyllus
Synonyms: Haplopappus stenophyllus, Stenotus stenophyllus
Narrowleaf goldenweed as seen atop a basalt butte about one and one-half miles north of the Columbia River near Sundale in south-central Klickitat County, WA..........April 20, 2011.
Characteristics:
Narrowleaf goldenweed is a perennial subshrub to 10 cm high. It tends to form
a loose mat of leaves and flowers with the leaves clustered on short erect stems.
The leaves are linear, erect and entire and persist for up to three years. They
may be up to 2 cm long and less than 2 mm wide. The leaves of the flower stems
are much reduced in size. The herbage is rough and glandular.
The numerous flowering stems are topped by single flower heads. The involucres
are 5-9 mm tall with subequal bracts. The bracts are linear in shape, green,
and glandular. There are 8 to 12 ray flowers and about as many disk flowers.
Individual rays measure from 7-11 mm long.
Habitat:
Narrowleaf goldenweed may be found on dry, open, rocky outcrops in the plains,
foothills and lowlands up to moderate elevations in the mountains.
Range:
Narrowleaf goldenweed is found east of the Cascade Mountains in central Washington.
It is rarely found south to northern California and Nevada, and occasionally
east to central Idaho.
The photo above shows a close-up of the disk and ray flowers of narrowleaf goldenweed
as photographed atop the Horse Heaven Hills near Benton City, WA.........June
28, 2006.
Narrowleaf goldenweed blooming in scablands along the road from Roosevelt, WA to Bickleton, WA........April 18, 2010.
The photo above shos several clusters of lower stem leaves on the short, erect stems
of narrowleaf goldenweed. Photographed atop the Horse Heaven Hills near Benton City, WA........June 28, 2006.
Narrowleaf goldenweed blooming in rocky lithosol prairie along the Bickleton Higway near milepost 18 at a pass between Bickleton, WA and Mabton, WA..........April 23, 2013.
The photo above shows narrowleaf goldenweed as seen atop the Horse Heaven Hills, west of Richland, WA.........April 28, 2006.
Paul Slichter