Flora of North America species comparison

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Wyethia ×cusickii

Wyethia helianthoides

hybrid mule's ears, mule-ears

sunflower mule-ears, white mule's ears, white-head wyethia
Habit Plants 25–40(–80) cm.
Basal leaves

blades (light green) lance-elliptic to elliptic-ovate, (10–)20–30+ cm, margins usually entire, sometimes denticulate, ± ciliolate, faces sparsely pilose to pilosulous (usually minutely gland-dotted or stipitate-glandular as well);

cauline leaves similar, smaller distally (petiolate or sessile).
Involucres

± hemispheric, (12–)20–30(–40) mm diam.
Ray florets

13–25;

laminae (cream to white) 25–45 mm.
Phyllaries

36–48, subequal, herbaceous, margins villous-ciliate, faces glabrous or glabrate;

outer 18–25 mm (not surpassing discs).
Heads

borne singly.
Cypselae

9–11 mm, strigillose distally and on margins.

Wyethia ×cusickii

Wyethia helianthoides
Phenology Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Meadows, other damp to wet sites, openings in pine forests
Elevation 40–2600 m (100–8500 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; NV; OR; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Hybrids between Wyethia helianthoides and W. amplexicaulis are infrequent where the species are in contact; no introgression has been noted. The hybrids have been called Wyethia ×cusickii Piper; they usually bloom later than W. helianthoides and earlier than W. amplexicaulis.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 103.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Ecliptinae > Wyethia
Sibling taxa
W. amplexicaulis, W. angustifolia, W. arizonica, W. glabra, W. helenioides, W. helianthoides, W. longicaulis, W. mollis
W. amplexicaulis, W. angustifolia, W. arizonica, W. glabra, W. helenioides, W. longicaulis, W. mollis
Name authority Nuttall: J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 7: 40, plate 5. (1834)
Web links 
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Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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