Burke: Arnica ovata vs. Arnica longifolia

	Arnica ovata	Arnica longifolia
	sticky arnica, sticky-leaf arnica	longleaf arnica, seep spring arnica, spear-leaf leopardbane
Habit	Perennial from a freely rooting rhizome, the stems solitary or tufted, 1.5-4 dm. tall.	Densely tufted perennial, often in large patches, from a short rhizome; many sterile, leafy stems; flowering stems leafy, 3-6 dm. high.
Leaves	Cauline leaves 3-4 pairs, mostly sessile, ovate to deltoid or elliptic, irregularly toothed, the middle ones the largest, with blades 4-8 cm. long and 2-6 cm. wide.	Leaves opposite, 5-7 pairs, the lower sheathing, with reduced blade; other leaves nearly sessile, only slightly reduced upward, lanceolate or lance-elliptic with a pointed tip, entire, 5-12 cm. long and 1-2 cm. wide; no basal leaves.
Flowers	Heads generally several, narrow, with few disk flowers; involucre 10-14 mm. high with pointed bracts, covered with stalked glands; rays about 8 or about 13, 1.5-2 cm. long; pappus straw-colored, sub-plumose.	Heads several to many; involucre 7-10 mm. high, the bracts sharply pointed; rays 8-13, yellow, pistillate, 1-2 cm. long; disk flowers yellow; pappus tawny, barbellate.
Fruits	Achene.	Achenes glandular and hairy or sub-glabrous.

	Arnica ovata	Arnica longifolia
Flowering time	July-September	July-September
Habitat	Rocky places from middle elevations to the subalpine and alpine.	Rocky soil in seeps or springs, cliffs, or riverbanks, from middle elevations to the alpine.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to Montana and Utah. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	A. chamissonis, A. cordifolia, A. discoidea, A. fulgens, A. gracilis, A. lanceolata, A. latifolia, A. longifolia, A. mollis, A. nevadensis, A. parryi, A. rydbergii, A. sororia	A. chamissonis, A. cordifolia, A. discoidea, A. fulgens, A. gracilis, A. lanceolata, A. latifolia, A. mollis, A. nevadensis, A. ovata, A. parryi, A. rydbergii, A. sororia
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Arnica longifolia

sticky arnica, sticky-leaf arnica

longleaf arnica, seep spring arnica, spear-leaf leopardbane

Habit

Perennial from a freely rooting rhizome, the stems solitary or tufted, 1.5-4 dm. tall.

Densely tufted perennial, often in large patches, from a short rhizome; many sterile, leafy stems; flowering stems leafy, 3-6 dm. high.

Leaves

Cauline leaves 3-4 pairs, mostly sessile, ovate to deltoid or elliptic, irregularly toothed, the middle ones the largest, with blades 4-8 cm. long and 2-6 cm. wide.

Leaves opposite, 5-7 pairs, the lower sheathing, with reduced blade; other leaves nearly sessile, only slightly reduced upward, lanceolate or lance-elliptic with a pointed tip, entire, 5-12 cm. long and 1-2 cm. wide; no basal leaves.

Flowers

Heads generally several, narrow, with few disk flowers;

involucre 10-14 mm. high with pointed bracts, covered with stalked glands;

rays about 8 or about 13, 1.5-2 cm. long;

pappus straw-colored, sub-plumose.

Heads several to many;

involucre 7-10 mm. high, the bracts sharply pointed;

rays 8-13, yellow, pistillate, 1-2 cm. long;

disk flowers yellow;

pappus tawny, barbellate.

Fruits

Achene.