Arnica mollis

Hairy arnica, Hairy Arnica

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Hairy arnica is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern California Ranges, Sierra Nevada, Warner Mountains, northern eastern Sierra Nevada, and White and Inyo Mountains in subalpine meadows and streambanks at elevations of 2,500 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces yellow ray flowers 15 to 30 millimeters long with radiate heads arranged in small clusters of 1 to 3. Growing 15 to 70 centimeters tall with 1 to several simple or few-branched stems emerging from a short rhizome, it has a distinctively hairy or glandular lower stem. Its cauline leaves are 3 to 5 pairs, with the lowest leaves typically largest, ranging from 4 to 20 centimeters long and having oblanceolate to obovate blades that may be entire or unevenly toothed. The fruit is 4 to 8 millimeters long, covered in forked hairs and typically glandular with a plumose, yellowish-brown pappus.

Habitat: Meadows, streambanks in subalpine zone

Bloom period: Jul-Sep

Elevation: 2500-3500 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRH, CaRH, SNH, 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.