E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial herb from a short, often stout rhizome; stems erect, simple, solitary or few, nearly glabrous, exuding milky juice when broken, 30-100 cm tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves persistent, lanceolate to oblanceolate, narrowed to a stalk, 8-25 cm long, 1-3 cm wide; glabrous or with long, bristly hairs and sparse starlike hairs, entire or nearly so; stem leaves few to several, lower ones similar to the basal, the upper ones reduced.

Flowers:
Heads with strap-shaped flowers, few to many in a flat to rounded inflorescence; involucres 7-12 mm tall; involucral bracts linear to linear-lanceolate, more or less densely bristly-hairy with long, glandless black-based bristles and obscure starlike hairs, sometimes also with gland-tipped, blackish bristles; ray flowers yellow.

Fruits:
Achenes ribbed, 3-3.5 mm long; pappus whitish to tawny.

Notes:
Until recently (Douglas 1986), the three varieties treated here were recognized at the specific level, although a number of taxonomists (Cronquist 1955, Guppy 1978) had previously suggested that they were probably better treated as infraspecific taxa. The three taxa are separated mainly by the density of bristly hairs on the plants (Guppy 1978). They may be distinguished as follows:

1. Bristly hairs 5-6 mm long, abundant throughout and often obscuring the glandular and starlike hairs of the involucre.................. var. albertinum (Farr) G.W. Dougl. & G.A. Allen

1. Bristly hairs 2-3 mm long, lacking or sparse throughout and rarely obscuring the glandular and starlike hairs of the involucre. 2. Leaves and stems usually nearly glabrous, often glaucous; involucral bracts sparsely to moderately hairy with glandular and starlike hairs..................... var. scouleri

2. Leaves and stems hairy with bristles; involucral bracts conspicuously hairy with glandular and starlike hairs..................... var. griseum (Rydb.) A. Nels.