[Agoseris and Goat-chicorys: The Genus Agoseris West of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Large-flowered Agoseris, Large-flower Goat-chicory

Agoseris grandiflora var. grandiflora

(Synonyms: Agoseris cinerea, Agoseris grandiflora var. intermedia, Agoseris grandiflora var. plebeia, Agoseris intermedia, Agoseris marshallii, Agoseris obtusifolia, Agoseris plebeja

Large-flowered agoseris from Hunter Prairie, from banks above the White River near Bear Springs R.S. (Mt. Hood N.F.)..........6/18//94. Note how broad the flower head is.

Flower head of Large-flowered Agoseris, Large-flower Goat-chicory: Agoseris grandiflora var. grandiflora (Synonyms: Agoseris cinerea, Agoseris grandiflora var. intermedia, Agoseris grandiflora var. plebeia, Agoseris intermedia, Agoseris marshallii, Agoseris obtusifolia, Agoseris plebeja)

The photo at rights shows the flower head of large-flowered agoseris prior to blooming. Photographed in the Columbia Hills in the Columbia River Gorge........June 3, 2006.

Characteristics:

Large-flowered agoseris is a perennial with several basal leaves surrounding one or two stout, erect stems from 20-70 cm high. The basal leaves are oblanceolate to lance-elliptic to broadly linear with entire to deeply pinnatifid margins. The rachis of the leaf varies from narow to broad. Individual leaves range from 10-25 cm long and from 1-3 cm wide. The leaf lobes when present range from spreading to angled towards the leaf tip.

The large flower heads are many flowered although it is rare to see them open to any extent. The involucre ranges from 1.5-4 cm high when mature with broad, short outer bracts and lnger, narrower inner bracts (as seen in the photo at right). The flowers are yellowish and may turn pinkish upon drying. The corollas are approximately as long as the involucre. The fruit is tapered gradually to a beak, with the nerveless beak 2-4 times longer than the achene which is about 4-7 mm long.

Habitat:

Large-flowered agoseris may be found in meadows, grasslands, and other open areas from the lowlands to moderate elevations in the mountains.

Range:

Large-flowered agoseris may be found from British Columbia south to California and east to Idaho, Nevada and Utah.

Lobed basal leaf of Large-flowered Agoseris, Large-flower Goat-chicory: Agoseris grandiflora var. grandiflora (Synonyms: Agoseris cinerea, Agoseris grandiflora var. intermedia, Agoseris grandiflora var. plebeia, Agoseris intermedia, Agoseris marshallii, Agoseris obtusifolia, Agoseris plebeja)

A lobed basal leaf of large-flowered agoseris from the Columbia Hills........July 7, 2006.

The photo above shows a close-up view of the achenes of large-flowered agoseris. Note that the achene tapers gradually to the long thin beak. In other words, the achene is not squared-off where it meets the beak, which helps separate this species from spear-leaf agoseris (Agoseris retrorsa).

The photo above shows a close-up view of the seed head of large-flowered agoseris. Note that the achenes taper gradually to the long thin beak rather than begin truncate to the beak.

Close-up of the involucral bracts of large-flowered agoseris as seen at Catherine Creek in the Columbia River Gorge........June 3, 2009.

Paul Slichter