Plants 5–50 cm. Stems 1–4, erect or ascending to decumbent, reddish, leafy, villous. Leaves: basal (in rosettes) petiolate, blades lanceolate to oblanceolate or spatulate, 50–200 × 5–40 mm, margins usually spinulose-serrate, sometimes entire, ciliate, apices acute, faces puberulent; cauline sessile, blades linear-lanceolate, 40–100 × 5–15 mm, reduced distally, faces glabrous or villous-hispid, eglandular. Heads usually borne singly, terminal, sometimes 2–3 in racemiform arrays, subtended by leaflike bracts. Peduncles 1–5 cm. Involucres turbinate to campanulate, 10–20 × 15–35 mm. Phyllaries in 3–5 series (± loose), linear-lanceolate to oblong, 10–20 mm, unequal, bases tapering, margins spinulose-serrate, ciliate, apices occasionally recurved, acute, mucronate, faces puberulent. Ray-florets 0 or 1–30; corollas yellow, 2–7 mm (not surpassing involucres). Disc-florets 25–50; corollas 9–14 mm. Cypselae subcylindric, 3–5.5 mm, 4-angled, faces striate or smooth, glabrous; pappi tawny, 6–9 mm.

Distribution

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B.C., Calif., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Wash., Wyo.

Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Pyrrocoma carthamoides is recognized by its erect, leafy, and villous stems, hispidulous leaves and phyllaries, and large, usually single heads with somewhat loose phyllaries. The ray florets are usually reduced but sometimes are lacking altogether.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Pyrrocoma carthamoides var. carthamoides, Pyrrocoma carthamoides var. cusickii, Pyrrocoma carthamoides var. subsquarrosa

Key

1	Phyllary apices broad, truncate, abruptly muc-ronate, mucro usually recurved	Pyrrocoma carthamoides var. subsquarrosa
1	Phyllary apices acute to acuminate, mucro erect	> 2
2	Involucres hemispheric, 20–35 mm wide; phyllaries ± overlapping, broadly oblong to obovate	Pyrrocoma carthamoides var. carthamoides
2	Involucres campanulate or turbinate, 15–20 mm wide; phyllaries loose, scarcely overlap-ping, lanceolate	Pyrrocoma carthamoides var. cusickii

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