''Hulsea mexicana'', the Mexican alpinegold or Mexican hulsea is a rare North American species of flowering plant in the family

Asteraceae 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 ...

. It has been found only in a small region straddling the border between Mexico and the United States. It grows in northern

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

and in southern

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 ...

(

Imperial County Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...

and

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...

). It grows in

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

, yellow pine forests, and open habitats between in elevation. The first botanical specimens collected were from the Mexican side of the border.

Description

''Hulsea mexicana'' is an annuals or biennial herb sometimes reaching in height. Most of the leaves are on the stem rather than clustered around the base. One plant will generally produce 3–5 flower heads, each with 20–35 ray flowers surrounding a large number of tiny disc flowers.Flora of North America, ''Hulsea mexicana'' Rydberg 1914. Mexican alpinegold
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References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Hulsea mexicana'', University of California/United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile: ''Hulsea mexicana''''Hulsea mexicana'' — Calphotos Photo gallery, University of California
mexicana Flora of California Flora of Baja California Plants described in 1914 Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Asteroideae-stub