Arnica lanceolata subsp. prima

Clasping arnica, Clasping Arnica

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Clasping arnica is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and eastern Sierra Nevada in moist areas, stream banks, snow-melt zones, and montane to alpine meadows at elevations of 2,200 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces yellow ray flowers 10 to 20 millimeters long with radiate heads in clusters of 3 to 10. Growing 50 to 80 centimeters tall with 1 to few stems that can branch above the middle, it emerges from a short rhizome and is generally hairy and glandular, especially toward the top of the plant. Its leaves include 4 to 10 pairs of narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate cauline leaves that are nearly sessile and somewhat toothed, measuring 4 to 12 centimeters long. The fruit is 4 to 8 millimeters long with sparse hairs and sometimes glandular surfaces.

Habitat: Moist areas, along stream banks, snow-melt areas, montane to alpine meadows

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 2200-3500 m

Bioregions: KR, CaRH, SNH, SNE

California counties: Inyo, Fresno, Alpine, Tulare, Mariposa, Sierra, Mono, Tuolumne, Siskiyou, Shasta, Madera, Contra Costa, Placer, Trinity, Plumas

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