About Eriophyllum ambiguum (A.Gray) A.Gray
Eriophyllum ambiguum (A.Gray) A.Gray, a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, is commonly known as the beautiful woolly sunflower. It is native to the deserts and adjacent hills of southern and eastern California, northwestern Arizona, and southern Nevada. This plant grows in chaparral, woodlands, and desert habitat. It is an annual herb that grows either decumbent or upright, with stems reaching up to 30 centimeters (1 foot) in length. Its leaves are broadly lance-shaped or oblong, sometimes lobed, and covered in woolly hairs on both sides. The inflorescence bears a single flower head that contains many yellow disc florets, plus 6 to 10 ray florets that are yellow, white, or bicolored. Each ray floret measures 2 millimeters to 1 centimeter (0.08-0.40 inches) long. The fruit is a rough-haired achene that may have a very small pappus. Two varieties are recognized: Eriophyllum ambiguum var. ambiguum, found in California, mostly within Kern County; and Eriophyllum ambiguum var. paleaceum (Brandegee) Ferris, found in California, Nevada, and Arizona.
