States and extreme southwestern Canada, where it is represented 

 by about 15 species, all fairly similar in general appearance and 

 palatability. 



Mules-ears is widely distributed, growing from Colorado to Mon- 

 tana, British Columbia, Oregon, and Nevada. It usually occurs 

 in distinct patches averaging from a few square rods to several 

 hundred acres but is also found in small groups and as individual 

 plants intermixed with other weeds, grasses, and browse. It grows 

 on open flats, gentle slopes, and parks from the sagebrush-bluebunch 

 wheatgrass zone through the ponderosa pine and aspen types up 

 into the spruce-fir zones to elevations of about 9,000 feet. This 

 species prefers heavy, compact clay and gurnbo soils, and also those 

 with very fine sandy and black topsoil. It often dominates such 

 sites practically to the exclusion of other plants. Its occurrence 

 in distinct patches seems to be thoroughly normal, due to its aggres- 

 siveness under certain soil conditions, and not at all necessarily 

 attributable to overgrazing as many believe. However, it is prob- 

 ably true that this plant tends to increase as other less resistant 

 and more palatable plants are killed out by heavy use. The strong, 

 deep-set root system enables the mules-ears plants to resist trampling 

 well. Reproduction is wholly by seed. 



Mules-ears leaves, in shape like the ears of a mule, are dark 

 green in color, smooth, somewhat stiff and leathery and are often 

 covered with a resinous or waxy substance. 



The flower heads are readily eaten by all classes of livestock as 

 well as by deer and elk, the leaves also being cropped slightly. 

 Sheep prefer the young and tender leaves and will usually seek and 

 crop those in the center of the clumps. Mules-ears has a palatability 

 rating of from 10 to 30 percent for sheep but is usually less palatable 

 for cattle. This species is most important on the spring; ranges 

 as well as on areas at medium elevations because growth begins early 

 in the season. The forage becomes tough and harsh and is little 

 eaten after the flowers have matured while the plants brown and 

 dry up during the middle or late summer. Subsequently livestock 

 sometimes eat sparingly of the dry foliage. 



The roots of mules-ears were once used by the Indians for food. 

 Nuttall reports x that in preparing the roots for consumption the 

 Indians "fermented" them for 1 or 2 days in a ground hole heated 

 with hot stones in order to develop a sweet, agreeable flavor. 



Whitehead wyethia (W. helianthoi' des) resembles mules-ears both 

 botanically and from a forage standpoint. It differs most conspic- 

 uously in having its herbage beset with short stiff hairs, and in 

 having somewhat larger and white or pale yellow flower heads. 

 This species occurs from Montana and northwestern Wyoming to 

 Oregon and Washington. 



1 Nuttall, T. A CATALOGUE OF A COLLECTION OF PLANTS MADE CHIEFLY IN THE VALLEYS 

 OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS OK NORTHERN ANDES, TOWARD THE SOURCES OF THE COLUMBIA 



RIVER, BY MR. NATHANIEL B. WYETH. Jour. Acad. Nat. Scl. Phila. 7 : 5-60. 1834. 



