Western Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Arnica mollis Hook.
- Family: Composite (Compositae)
- Flowering: June-September
- Field Marks: This species is recognized by its 3-4 pairs of hairy, opposite leaves, and its few yellow flower heads up to 2 1/2 inches across.
- Habitat: Moist areas in the mountains, including spruce-pine forests.
- Habit: Perennial herb with dark brown rhizomes.
- Stems: Upright, unbranched, up to 2 feet tall, with short or long hairs, some of which may be glandular.
- Leaves: Basal leaves oblanceolate to spatulate, borne on stalks; leaves on the stem in 3-4 opposite pairs, lanceolate to ovate, up to 3 inches long, sessile, usually rough-hairy, with or without teeth.
- Flowers: Crowded together into a head, the head up to 2 1/2 inches across, some of the flowers yellow and ray-like surrounding a yellow disk; rays 12-18, 3/4-1 1/4 inches long; disk up to 1 1/2 inches across; each head subtended by several pointed, long-hairy bracts.
- Sepals: 0.
- Petals: Some united to form flat rays, others united to form short tubes.
- Stamens: 5.
- Pistils: Ovary inferior, hairy.
- Fruits: Achenes up to 1/6 inch long, hairy, with a tuft of tawny-colored hairs at the tip.
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