Arnica chamissonis

Chamisso arnica

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Chamisso arnica is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, southern Sierra Nevada, Warner Mountains, northern eastern Sierra Nevada, and White and Inyo Mountains in damp meadows, rocky places, and conifer forest at elevations of 1,800 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces yellow ray flowers 10 to 20 millimeters long with distinctive radiate heads. Growing with a single stem 20 to 80 centimeters tall that branches toward the top and is moderately hairy, especially with glandular hairs in the upper portions. Its cauline leaves occur in 4 to 10 pairs, sessile or short-petioled, with oblanceolate blades 5 to 20 centimeters long that are nearly entire. The fruit is 3 to 8 millimeters long with a short, dirty white to straw-colored pappus.

Habitat: Damp meadows, rocky places, conifer forest

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 1800-3500 m

Bioregions: KR, CaR, SN, SnBr, Wrn, n SNE, W&ampI

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.