About Corethrogyne filaginifolia (Hook. & Arn.) Nutt.
Corethrogyne filaginifolia is a robust perennial herb or subshrub. It grows a stem that ranges from simple to multibranched, reaching a maximum length or height of close to 1 metre, or 3.3 feet. Its leaves are densely woolly, several centimeters long; leaves lower on the stem are toothed or lobed, while leaves higher on the stem are smaller. The inflorescence holds either a single flower head or an array of several heads at the tips of stem branches. Each flower head is lined with narrow, pointed phyllaries that have purple tips, and these phyllaries curl back as the head matures. Inside the head are many ray florets that can be purple, lavender, pink, or white, and a center packed with up to 120 tubular yellow disc florets. The fruit this plant produces is an achene, topped with a pappus of reddish bristles. Corethrogyne filaginifolia is native to western North America, ranging from the southwestern corner of Oregon through California to Baja California. It is a common member of many plant communities in this range, including chaparral and woodlands, forests, scrub, grasslands, and communities growing on serpentine soils.
