Perennial 6–60 cm. Leaves oblanceolate, 5–35 cm long, entire, dentate, or with pinnate, linear lobes. Herbage glabrous to sparsely villous. Involucre 1–3 cm high; phyllaries lanceolate, in 2 to 4 indistinct series, green or purple-spotted, glabrate to villous. Rays orange to pink; ligules 6–12 mm long. Pappus 6–15 mm long. Achene body 5–9 mm long; beak 3–7 mm long
(Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Our plants are varieties
aurantiaca or
carnea (Rydb.) Lesica.
Agoseris species in Montana share the following characteristics:
*Solitary flowerhead composed only of ray (ligulate) flowers; each ray tipped with 5 lobes.
*Single, long flowering stem (peduncle) that has milky sap;
*Leaves are only basal; each leaf with a simple blade that tapering to the stem (petiole).
Orange Agoseris -
Agoseris aurantiaca*Life Span: Perennial
*Flowers (Corollas): Orange to pink, often drying light purple
*Leaf Blades: Entire, dentate, or with shallow lobes.
Annual Agoseris -
Agoseris heterophylla*Life Span: Annual
*Flowers (Corollas): Yellow
*Leaf Blades: Not lobed; entire to slightly dentate.
Steppe Agoseris -
Agoseris parviflora*Life Span: Perennial
*Flowers (Corollas): Yellow
*Leaf Blades: Lobes divided half-way to the midvein.
*Involucral Bracts: Glabrous or tomentose.
*Achene Beak: Less than 6 mm long.
Large-flower Agoseris -
Agoseris grandiflora*Life Span: Perennial
*Flowers (Corollas): Yellow
*Leaf Blades: Lobes divided half-way to the midvein.
*Involucral Bracts: Villous on the margins.
*Achene Beak: At least 8 mm long.
Pale Agoseris -
Agoseris glauca*Life Span: Perennial
*Flowers (Corollas): Yellow
*Leaf Blades: Entire or with shallow lobes that are less than half-way to the midvein.
POLLINATORSThe following animal species have been reported as pollinators of this plant species or genus where their geographic ranges overlap:
Bombus bifarius and
Bombus insularis (Wilson et al. 2010).
