About Enceliopsis nudicaulis (A.Gray) A.Nelson
Enceliopsis nudicaulis is a perennial herb that grows up to 45 centimeters (18 inches) tall from a woody caudex fringed with gray-green hairy leaves. The oval-shaped leaves can reach up to 6.5 cm (2+1⁄2 inches) long and wide. This species blooms from May to August, and produces a single solitary flower head held at the top of a tall, erect peduncle. The flower head measures 7.5–10 cm (3–4 inches) across, with a base formed of three layers of densely woolly, pointed phyllaries. It has a fringe of roughly 21 yellow ray florets, each 2 to 4 cm (3⁄4 to 1+1⁄2 inches) long. Its fruit is a hairy achene that is around 1 cm in length. Enceliopsis nudicaulis is native to the western United States, where it occurs in Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California. In California, it is found in the Inyo Mountains–White Mountains and on sky islands in the Mojave Desert. It grows in desert, plateau, and montane habitats. It is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental plant for use in dry areas.
