Dandelion lookalike

Agoseris glauca, July 11, 2021

Agoseris glauca, July 11, 2021

Common & scientific name
Pale agoseris, Agoseris glauca

Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae

Location
No Name ridge, 12,300’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Can look at first glance like a dandelion, with its single yellow flower head on a leafless stalk.  The big differences lie in the phyllaries and the basal leaves: the phyllaries do not curl over backwards like a dandelion’s, and are green with purple stripes; and the leaves are simple, not cut.  It’s fruit, called a cypsela, has soft, white bristles resembling the puff ball of a dandelion (photo to come!)