About Pyrrocoma racemosa (Nutt.) Torr. & A.Gray
Pyrrocoma racemosa (Nutt.) Torr. & A.Gray is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, commonly known as clustered goldenweed. It is native to the western United States, where it grows in many types of habitat. This species is quite morphologically variable, with several varieties that are sometimes difficult to distinguish. In general, it is a perennial herb that usually produces two or more mostly erect stems, which reach maximum heights between 15 and 90 centimeters. The stems are reddish or brownish, may be leafy or not, and range from hairless to quite woolly. The longest leaves grow in tufts around the base of the stems. These leaves range from lance-shaped to oval, with edges that can be smooth, wavy, or deeply spine-toothed, and may exceed 30 centimeters in length. Basal leaves grow from woolly petioles, while leaves located higher on the stem have no petioles and may clasp the stem at their bases. The inflorescence is a cluster of several flower heads, lined with phyllaries that may be over one centimeter long and range from hairy to hairless in texture. Each flower head holds many yellow disc florets, with a fringe of several yellow ray florets around the edge. The fruit is an achene that may be over one centimeter long when including its pappus.
