''Hulsea algida'' is a species of flowering plant in the

daisy family The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

, known by the common name Pacific hulsea or alpine gold. It is native to the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

Description

''H. algida'' is a hairy, glandular perennial herb producing stout erect stems approaching 40 centimeters (16 inches) in height. The dark green

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are narrow and covered in white hairs, and the edges are wavy and toothed. Most of the leaves occur in a thick patch at the base of the plant, where they can reach in length, and some grow from the stems. Appearing from July to September, the

pseudanthium A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...

(flower head) is encased in a cup of densely woolly reddish green

phyllaries In botanical terminology, a phyllary, also known an involucral bract or tegule, is a single bract of the involucre of a composite flower. The involucre is the grouping of bracts together. Phyllaries are reduced leaf-like structures that form one or ...

which open to reveal a daisy-like bloom wide. The center of the head is filled with yellow or orange disc florets and the circumference has up to 60 bright yellow or gold ray florets each about 1 cm long with rounded or toothed tips. The fruit is an

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...

up to 1 cm long with a pappus which may be longer.Flora of North America, ''Hulsea algida'' A. Gray, 1865. Pacific or alpine alpinegold
/ref> '' H. nana'' is similar, but rarely more than tall, with a leafless stalk and 21 ray flowers per pseudanthium.

Distribution and habitat

The species is native to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, and

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

. Within California, it grows in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

and in the White Mountains. It grows between in elevation, in

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

and

subalpine Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

talus habitats.Calflora taxon report, University of California: ''Hulsea algida'', Pacific hulsea, high mountain hulsea
. accessed 2.2.2013

References

External links

*
Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Hulsea algida''United States department of Agriculture Plants Profile: ''Hulsea algida'' (alpine gold)''Hulsea algida'' — Calphotos Photo gallery, University of California

algida This is a list of brands owned by the British multinational consumer goods company Unilever. Unilever's billion euro brands These brands have annual sales of one billion euros or more: * Axe/Lynx *Dove *Omo/Persil * Heartbrand (Wall's) ice ...

Flora of the Western United States Plants described in 1885 Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Asteroideae-stub