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Wyethia x cusickii

hybrid mule's ears

narrow-leaved mule's ears

Habit Plants not tomentose. Plants not tomentose.
Stems

erect, 32–45 cm, sparsely to very sparsely villous-hirsute.

decumbent to ascending; (9)20–96 cm, villous-hirsute; more densely so at bases of stems.

Basal leaves

lanceolate to elliptic to ovate, 21–26 × 6.5–11.5 cm, generally < 3 × as long as wide, bases sometimes decurrent;

margins entire or with small teeth;

surfaces glabrous but generally sparsely hirsute on midribs and margins;

petioles 2–13 cm. Cauline leaves lanceolate to oblong, 6–18 × 2–6 cm;

petioles 0–4 cm.

elliptic to oblanceolate, 8–47 × 1.3–8.3(10.2) cm, generally > 4 × as long as wide, tapered to both ends; but more strongly tapered to bases;

margins entire or toothed;

surfaces hirsutulous, villous-hirsute on midribs, sometimes resinous and shiny;

petioles 0–19.4 cm.

Cauline leaves

lanceolate to oblanceolate, 3–38 × 0.7–6 cm;

petioles 0–6 cm.

Inflorescences

terminal heads 1, occasionally with 1–4 reduced; axillary heads;

peduncles up to 1.5 cm.

terminal heads 1(3), often with smaller axillary heads;

peduncles 2–20 cm.

Involucres

terminal 30–45 × 13–15 mm; axillary ~12 × 10 mm.

(15)20–45 × (10)15–22 mm.

Ray florets

~15, light yellow;

rays 35–45 × 8–10 mm.

10–17, yellow to orange-yellow;

rays 21–38 × 5–14 mm.

Disc florets

7–11 mm.

Phyllaries

linear to lanceolate, 17–28 × 3–6 mm;

surfaces ciliate.

linear to lanceolate, 10–27(35) × 2–7 mm, hirsutulous, ciliate; cilia ~1 mm.

Fruits

7–11 × 1–2 mm, strigillose apically;

pappus scales lanceolate; crowns 0.3–1 mm.

7–8 × 1.2–2 mm, strigillose;

pappus scales lanceolate, 2–8 mm; crowns 0.7–1.1 mm.

Paleae

12–17 mm.

Wyethia x cusickii

Wyethia angustifolia

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Open, grassy areas. Flowering May–Jun. 800–1700 m. BW, Lava. ID, WA. Native.

Wyethia × cusickii is the hybrid between W. amplexicaulis and W. helianthoides and can be expected wherever their ranges overlap. It ranges from something that looks very much like W. amplexicaulis, but with ciliate phyllaries, to something that looks much like W. helianthoides but is mostly glabrous.

Open, grassy areas, coastal bluffs, open woodlands, serpentine. Flowering May–Jul. 0–1600 m. Casc, ECas, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, WA. Native.

“Angustifolia” means narrow-leaved.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 369
Abigail (Abby) Moore
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 368
Abigail (Abby) Moore
Sibling taxa
W. amplexicaulis, W. helianthoides, W. mollis
Synonyms Wyethia angustifolia var. angustifolia
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