About Pyrrocoma carthamoides Hook.
Pyrrocoma carthamoides Hook. is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, commonly known as largeflower goldenweed. It is native to western North America, ranging from British Columbia through northeastern California to Wyoming. It grows in multiple habitat types including grassland, woodlands, forests, barren areas, and other open habitats. This perennial herb grows from a taproot, and produces one or more reddish-green, leafy stems that reach a maximum length of about half a meter. The largest leaves are located at the base of the stem, growing up to 20 centimeters long. These basal leaves are lance-shaped with spiny sawtoothed edges. Leaves positioned higher on the stem are smaller in size and hairier in texture. The inflorescence holds either a single flower head or a cluster of up to four flower heads. Each bell-shaped flower head is lined with phyllaries that each grow up to 2 centimeters long. The flower head holds many yellow disc florets, surrounded by a fringe of yellow ray florets that can reach 7 millimeters long; ray florets are occasionally absent. The fruit is an achene that can measure well over a centimeter in length when including its attached pappus. There are three recognized varieties of this species; variety subsquarrosa is an uncommon taxon found only in southwestern Montana and northwestern Wyoming.
