Alpine sunflower

Alpine sunflower (Tetraneuris grandiflora) Alternate name: Old-man-of-the-mountain, Graylocks Four-nerve Daisy Family: Asteraceae, Aster view all from this family Description A whitish hairy plant with feather-like leaves mostly near the base, and one or several stout stems each bearing one large yellow flower head. Flowers: head 3-4 1/2" (7.5-11.3 cm) wide; with 20 or more rays surrounding a broad disk, and numerous very narrow, woolly bracts. Leaves: 3-4" (7.5-10 cm), pinnately divided into very narrow segments. Fruit: seed-like, 5-sided, densely hairy, narrow, with 5-8 stiff, narrow scales at top. Height: 1-12" (2.5-30 cm). Flower June-August. Habitat Rocky slopes, high meadows, and tundra. Range Central Idaho and southwestern Montana to Colorado and eastern Utah. Discussion In a complicated genus, this has the largest and prettiest heads (grandiflora means "large-flowered") in the West.