Burke: Wyethia ×cusickii vs. Wyethia amplexicaulis

	Wyethia ×cusickii	Wyethia amplexicaulis
		northern mule's ears, smooth dwarf sunflower
Habit		Tap-rooted, glabrous, leafy-stemmed perennial, the stems stout but lax, 3-8 dm. tall, resinous throughout.
Leaves		Leaves firm, mostly entire, the basal ones enlarged, the blades elliptic or lance-elliptic, 2-6 dm. long and 5-16 cm. wide, tapering to a short petiole, the cauline leaves smaller, sessile, becoming ovate or lance-ovate and clasping.
Flowers		Heads usually several, the central one larger; involucral bracts broad and herbaceous, in several series, often surpassing the disk; rays 13-21 in the terminal head, chrome-yellow, pistillate and fertile, 2.5-5 cm. long; disk flowers numerous, light yellow, perfect and fertile; receptacle broadly convex, chaffy throughout, the bracts clasping the achenes; pappus of petal-like appendages.
Fruits		Achenes compressed-quadrangular.

	Wyethia ×cusickii	Wyethia amplexicaulis
Flowering time		May-July
Habitat		Seasonally moist areas in sagebrush-steppe, to open areas at moderate elevations.
Distribution	[BONAP county map]	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to Nevada, east to the Rocky Mountains. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin		Native
Conservation status		Not of concern
Sibling taxa	W. amplexicaulis, W. angustifolia	W. angustifolia
Web links	Local floras: OR Local Web sites: 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: OR, WA Local Web sites: 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

Wyethia ×cusickii

Wyethia amplexicaulis

northern mule's ears, smooth dwarf sunflower

Habit

Tap-rooted, glabrous, leafy-stemmed perennial, the stems stout but lax, 3-8 dm. tall, resinous throughout.

Leaves

Leaves firm, mostly entire, the basal ones enlarged, the blades elliptic or lance-elliptic, 2-6 dm. long and 5-16 cm. wide, tapering to a short petiole, the cauline leaves smaller, sessile, becoming ovate or lance-ovate and clasping.

Flowers

Heads usually several, the central one larger;

involucral bracts broad and herbaceous, in several series, often surpassing the disk;

rays 13-21 in the terminal head, chrome-yellow, pistillate and fertile, 2.5-5 cm. long;

disk flowers numerous, light yellow, perfect and fertile;

receptacle broadly convex, chaffy throughout, the bracts clasping the achenes;

pappus of petal-like appendages.

Fruits

Achenes compressed-quadrangular.