About Hulsea vestita A.Gray
Hulsea vestita A.Gray is a perennial herb. It forms a basal patch of thick leaves, and produces stems that can reach up to one meter (40 inches) tall, though most individuals are much shorter. Its leaves are woolly, spoon-shaped, gray-green, and may have ruffled edges. The thick flower heads have glandular, hairy green phyllaries. Each daisylike flower head holds many long golden disc florets at its center, surrounded by a fringe of golden to reddish ray florets that grow up to 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) long.
Recognized subspecies of Hulsea vestita, with their common names and known ranges, are: Hulsea vestita ssp. callicarpha (beautiful hulsea), found in Southern California; Hulsea vestita ssp. gabrielensis (San Gabriel Mtns. sunflower), native to the San Gabriel Mountains and other Transverse Ranges; Hulsea vestita ssp. inyoensis (Inyo hulsea, pumice alpinegold), occurring in the Inyo Mountains, ranges within Death Valley National Park, other areas of Inyo and Mono Counties, and western Nevada; Hulsea vestita ssp. parryi (Parry's alpinegold), found in the San Bernardino Mountains, other Transverse and Peninsular Ranges, and the Sierra Nevada; Hulsea vestita ssp. pygmaea (pygmy alpinegold), occurring in the San Bernardino Mountains and the southern Sierra Nevada; and Hulsea vestita ssp. vestita (pumice alpinegold), found in the Sierra Nevada and eastern Transverse ranges.
