Wyethia invenusta

Rayless mule's ears, Rayless Mule's Ears

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Rayless mule's ears is a California native perennial found in the southern Sierra Nevada in open forest and forest clearings at elevations of 600 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces yellow disk flowers without ray flowers, creating unusual discoid heads approximately 2 to 3 centimeters wide. Growing with erect stems 6 to 10 decimeters tall that branch toward the top and are densely covered in short, rough hairs, it appears somewhat sticky and glandular. Its cauline leaves range 7 to 20 centimeters long, with ovate to triangular shapes and bases that are obtuse to heart-shaped, covered in stiff hairs and often slightly glandular. The plant's distinctive lack of ray flowers and densely hairy, glandular stems make it an unusual member of the sunflower family.

Habitat: Open forest, clearings

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 600-2300 m

Bioregions: s SN.

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