Wyethia reticulata

El dorado county mule ears, El Dorado County Mule Ears

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

El dorado county mule ears is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada Foothills in El Dorado County, growing on wooded slopes and in chaparral at elevations of 150 to 600 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces yellow flowers in large heads with ray flowers 20 to 25 millimeters long. Growing 40 to 70 centimeters tall with erect stems that are generally branched toward the top and slightly sticky-glandular, it develops a distinctive form. Its leaves are lance-ovate to triangular, 5 to 15 centimeters long, with broadly obtuse bases and prominently veined undersides that appear almost varnished. Its flower heads are hemispheric, 2 to 3 centimeters wide, with phyllaries that are oblong or lanceolate and often spreading or reflexed.

Habitat: Wooded slopes, chaparral

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 150-600 m

Bioregions: n SNF (El Dorado Co.).

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