''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' is a 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 ...

known by the common name beautiful woolly sunflower. It is native to the deserts and adjacent hills of southern and eastern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, northwestern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, and southern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the 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. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

.Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
/ref>Calflora taxon report, University of California, ''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' (A. Gray) A. Gray, annual woolly sunflower, beautiful woolly sunflower
/ref> ''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' grows in chaparral, woodlands, and desert habitat. It is an annual herb growing

decumbent This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

or upright with stems up to 30 centimeters (1 foot) long. The leaves are widely lance-shaped or oblong and sometimes have lobes, with woolly hairs on both sides. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

produces one

flower head 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 ...

containing many yellow

disc floret 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 ...

s and 6 to 10 yellow, white, or bicolored

ray florets 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 ...

which are each 2 millimeters to one centimeter (0.08-0.40 inches) long. The fruit is a rough-haired achene which may have a very small pappus.Flora of North America, ''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' (A. Gray) A. Gray
/ref> ;VarietiesThe Plant List, ''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' (A.Gray) A.Gray
/ref> *''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' var. ''ambiguum'' -

, mostly in

Kern County Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield. Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county sp ...

*''Eriophyllum ambiguum'' var. ''paleaceum'' (Brandegee) Ferris -

References

External links

* alflora: ''Eriophyllum ambiguum''br>Jepson Manual TreatmentUnited States Department of Agriculture Plants ProfileCalphotos Photo gallery, University of California
ambiguum Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of the California desert regions Natural history of the Mojave Desert Plants described in 1865 Taxa named by Asa Gray Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Asteroideae-stub