''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

known by the common name beautiful woolly sunflower. It is native to the deserts and adjacent hills of southern and eastern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, northwestern

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, and southern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

.Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
/ref>Calflora taxon report, University of California, ''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' (A. Gray) A. Gray, annual woolly sunflower, beautiful woolly sunflower
/ref> ''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' grows in

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...

, woodlands, and desert habitat. It is an annual herb growing

decumbent This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

or upright with stems up to 30 centimeters (1 foot) long. The leaves are widely lance-shaped or oblong and sometimes have lobes, with woolly hairs on both sides. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

produces one

flower head A pseudanthium (; : pseudanthia) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, composite flowers ...

containing many yellow

disc floret Asteraceae () is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger fa ...

s and 6 to 10 yellow, white, or bicolored

ray florets Asteraceae () is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger fa ...

which are each 2 millimeters to one centimeter (0.08-0.40 inches) long. The fruit is a rough-haired

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple fruit, simple dry fruits, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and Dehi ...

which may have a very small pappus.Flora of North America, ''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' (A. Gray) A. Gray
/ref> ;VarietiesThe Plant List, ''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' (A.Gray) A.Gray
/ref> *''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' var. ''ambiguum'' -

, mostly in

Kern County Kern County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield. Kern County compris ...

*''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' var. ''paleaceum'' (Brandegee) Ferris -

References

External links

* alflora: ''Eriophyllum ambiguum''br>Jepson Manual TreatmentUnited States Department of Agriculture Plants ProfileCalphotos Photo gallery, University of California
ambiguum Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of the California desert regions Natural history of the Mojave Desert Plants described in 1865 Taxa named by Asa Gray Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Asteroideae-stub