About Townsendia scapigera Eaton
Townsendia scapigera is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family (Asteraceae), commonly known as the tufted Townsend daisy. It is native to the western United States, where it grows in mountain, sagebrush, and other types of habitat. It is a small perennial herb that grows in a compact clumped form reaching only a few centimeters tall. Its aboveground foliage grows from a structure consisting of a caudex connected to a taproot. Its leaves can grow up to 5 centimeters long, and their surface is covered in rough hairs. The inflorescence produces flower heads held on upright peduncles. Each flower head is 1 to 3 centimeters wide, and has phyllaries covered in hairs. Each flower head holds many yellow disc florets, plus many white, pinkish, or purplish ray florets; each ray floret can grow up to 1.6 centimeters in length. The fruit this plant produces is a hairy achene, with a bristly pappus at its tip.
