Haplopappus armerioides (Nutt.) A. Gray 



Asteraceae 



Skyline goldenweed 



A. Description 



1. General description: Herbaceous perennial with closely 

 tufted basal leaves and leafless flowering stalks, arising 

 from a much-branched woody caudex. Leaves narrowly 

 oblanceolate-acuminate, usually 2-8 cm (0.8-3.1 in) long and 

 3-10 mm (.12-3.9 in) wide, entire. Infloresence usually a 

 singe head, ray flowers and disk flowers yellow. Achene 

 pappus made up of soft bristles (from Great Plains Flora 

 Association 1986) . Flowering from late May through June. All 

 1994 fieldwork results were based on records of plants that 

 weres past flowering, most of which had inf loresences that had 

 shed all seeds by early July. 



2. Technical description: Cespitose subshrub, 5-15 cm tall, 

 essentially glabrous. Stems numerous, arising from a much- 

 branched, stout woody caudex, surmounting a prominent taproot. 

 Leaves persistent mostly basal, sessile, narrowly 

 oblanceolate-acuminate, 2-8(10) cm long and 3-10 mm wide, 

 entire; margins sometimes scabrous, or often resinous, cauline 

 leaves few and reduced. Inflorescences usually a single head 

 on a subscapose peduncle, or sometimes with 2-3(5) heads; 

 involucre broadly campanulate, 10-12 mm tall and about as 

 wide; involucral bracts imbricate in 3 or 4 series, obtuse to 

 acuminate, with a conspicuous greenish region on the distal 

 1/3-1.4; ray florets (8)10-12(15), ligule 10-12 mm long, 

 yellow; disk florets ca 40, corolla +/- 5 mm long, yellow. 

 Achenes 4-5 mm long, somewhat flattened, villous; pappus of 

 numerous soft, white bristles, 5 mm long (Great Plains Flora 

 Association 1986) . 



3. Diagnostic characteristics: This is one of several 

 acaulescent tufted composites in western South Dakota, and can 

 be identified in vegetative condition. It superficially 

 resembles Hymenoxys acaulis with which it occurs, although the 

 latter has hairy rather than glabrous leaves. Its entire 

 leaves and acaulescent growth form distinguish it from other 

 species of the genus in the study area. 



B. Present legal or other formal status 

 1. Federal 



A. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service: none 



B. U.S. Forest Service: none 



C. Bureau of Land Management: none 



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