MULE EAKS (Wyethia angustifdlia, Nutt.). Flower heads 

 solitary, 3 to 4 inches across, composed of both ray and disk 

 florets, and both yellow, the involucre an inch high of loose, 

 leaf-like bracts. Leaves alternate, lance-shaped, tapering to 

 both ends, hairy and often somewhat glutinous, the lower 

 ones tufted, 6 inches to a foot or more long, with an erect 

 habit; the stem leaves shorter and usually broader. A peren- 

 nial herb a few inches to 2 feet high, from a strong root crowned 

 with a short trunk; common from Central California north to 

 Oregon, in moist ground and valley lands, and on hillsides, 

 blooming in late spring and summer. 



Wyethia is a genus of several species peculiar to the Far 

 West. Because of the large, bright yellow flowers most of 

 them are lumped in popular parlance as Sunflowers. The 

 ample root leaves with an alert, upright habit are also con- 

 spicuous, whence the name Mule Ears. Several species have 

 played an important part in aboriginal economy; the seeds 

 being gathered for food, and the resinous root used in the 

 form of a decoction for an emetic. The edges of the leaves 

 are popularly thought to face north and south. 



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