Common names:
Lyall's goldenweed, Lyall's serpentweed, alpine goldenweed
Family:
Scientific name:
Tonestus lyallii
Main flower color:
Range:
From Washington to Colorado, including small parts of north California and northeast Nevada
Height:
Up to 6 inches
Habitat:
Meadows and rocky slopes in the subalpine and alpine zones
Leaves:
Lanceolate to spatulate, alternate, up to 3 inches long. Entire edges
Season:
July to August
Tonestus lyallii is a low-growing, hairy, glandular plant that grows in mountainous regions, at medium to high elevations. Flowers are borne singly (occasionally in pairs) on top of the short stems, and are about an inch in diameter. They have 11 to 23 yellow ray florets, several dozen yellow to brownish disc florets and 3 to 4 rows of hairy green phyllaries, just beneath which are several longer, leaf-like bracts, which, like the stems and leaves, have a covering of long white hairs. Phyllaries can be purplish in color, just at the tips or all over.
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