General: Perennial herb from a strong taproot and freely branched crown, forming loose flat mats up to 60 cm wide; stems prostrate to ascending, simple, several, 10-30 cm tall/long, usually white-woolly.
Leaves: Basal leaves elliptic to spoon-shaped, grey- to white woolly-hairy on the lower surface, greenish on the upper, the blades 1-3 (4) cm long, narrowed gradually to the stalks; stem leaves lacking.
Flowers: Inflorescence a large, simple or compound umbel, subtended by a whorl of leaflike bracts; involucres bell-shaped, hairy, 4-6 mm long, the 6-12 lobes 2-3 mm long, often reflexed; perianths creamy or pale to deep yellow, often tinged with rose or purple, smooth, 6-l0 lobed; flowers usually imperfect.
Fruits: Achenes, smooth.
Notes: Two closely related varieties occur in BC:
1. Perianth white to cream or pale yellow................. var. subalpinum (Greene) M. E. Jones
1. Perianth bright yellow...................... var. umbellatum
Dry grasslands, shrublands, forest openings, rock outcrops and scree slopes in the steppe to alpine zones; frequent in SC and SE BC; S to CO, UT and OR.
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range. (Updated August, 2013)
BC Ministry of Environment:BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer,
the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.
Synonyms and Alternate Names
Eriogonum covillei Small Eriogonum stellatum Benth. Eriogonum umbellatum subsp. covillei (Small) Munz Eriogonum umbellatum subsp. minus (I.M. Johnst.) Munz Eriogonum umbellatum subsp. stellatum (Benth.) S. Stokes Eriogonum umbellatum var. chrysanthum Gandog. Eriogonum umbellatum var. croceum (Small) S. Stokes ex R.J. Davis Eriogonum umbellatum var. stellatum (Benth.) M.E. Jones