Heartleaf arnica, a very common plant, is a perennial herb 6 to 24 

 inches high, growing from fibrous roots and underground rootstocks, 

 and is undoubtedly the most widespread and abundant species of its 

 genus in the West. It ranges from British Columbia to northern 

 New Mexico and California. In the Pacific Northwest it occurs 

 mostly on the east side of the Cascades. It grows at elevations rang- 

 ing from around 1,000 feet in the ponderosa-pine stands of the 

 Northwest to about 11,000 feet in the mountains of Colorado and 

 Utah. Heartleaf arnica grows almost exclusively in moist, rich, 

 shady woodlands and timbered areas. It thrives in aspen, lodgepole 

 pine, and open Douglas fir stands and in moist humus soils of spruce- 

 fir woods, often becoming abundant and forming almost pure stands. 

 It is sometimes found growing amidst grasses and weeds within or 

 around timbered areas. 



Heartleaf arnica is included in this handbook chiefly because of 

 its wide distribution, abundance, and showiness. It is not an im- 

 portant forage plant, its palatability for grazing animals usually 

 being low. In many localities it is but rarely grazed. When grazed, 

 usually only the flowers are consumed, although occasionally some 

 of the leaves are also eaten. Sheep utilize this species more readily 

 than do other classes of livestock. 



The English name, heartleaf arnica, and the Latin species name, 

 cordi folia (cordis=of the heart; fplia= leaves), are descriptive of 

 the most outstanding feature of this species. The basal and lower 

 leaves are almost always heart-shaped. While this character is rea- 

 sonably constant, it cannot always be used as an absolute means of 

 identification, because there is some variation in the shape of the 

 leaves ; they may be broadly heart-shaped or kidney-shaped, rounded, 

 or ovate. The lower stem leaves are 1 to 3 inches long and stalked 

 (petioled) ; the upper stem leaves are usually smaller, stalkless, and 

 broadly lance-shaped or diamond-shaped. The large yellow flower 

 heads are often over 2 inches wide. 



