OregonFlora

Hairy-stemmed checkermallow (Sidalcea hirtipes) is a rare wildflower found in open spaces in the coastal mountains to bluffs along the ocean, but not on tideflats of northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington (where it's also rare). The species has also been found near the Columbia River as far upstream as the Portland/Vancouver area. The eye-catching inflorescence consists of dark pink flowers that are tightly spaced. Because it is fairly rare, it is probably best not to mention specific locations to help protect them from poaching.

The attached image was taken by Gerald D. Carr on June 17, 2013 somewhere in Clatsop County, OR.

To view additional images and range map for this stunning wildflower, please visit OregonFlora at:

https://oregonflora.org/taxa/index.php?taxon=8383

There's a wildflower species blooming now in southern Oregon forests that you might swear to be arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) as you drive by. But if you stop the car to take a closer look, this 'balsamroot' begins to look a bit strange with a longer look. It' has silvery gray leaves and woolly bracts below the flower head, just like arrowleaf balsamroot, but the characteristic that makes this odd is that it has numerous large leaves up the stem. Balsamroots only have a pair or two of small leaves or bracts mid-stem and above. So what pray tell, is this showy arrowleaf balsamroot lookalike?

It turns out that it's woolly mule's ears (Wyethia mollis). It turns out that a quick way to distinguish all the mules ears from the balsamroots is the large stem leaves on the former, the nearly leafless stems of the latter.

Woolly mule's ears can be found on vernally moist, grassy forest openings, prairie or sagebrush desert in the southern half of Klamath and Lake Counties, OR. The species can then be found south through the Sierra Nevada Mountains of eastern California to Inyo County. Note that the species name "mollis" means soft, which the plants are!

The attached image of woolly mule's ears was taken by Gerald D. Carr on June 2, 2019 on north side of OR Hwy 140, about 2.2 miles east of the junction with US Hwy 395, Lake County, OR.

To view additional images, pressed specimens, a range map and brief written description of woolly mule's ears, please visit OregonFlora at:

https://oregonflora.org/taxa/index.php?taxon=9176

Desert paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa) is a colorful wildflower found from the eastern foothills of the Cascade Mountains eastward across much of central and eastern Oregon where it is currently to be found in bloom!

Image by Gerald D. Carr as seen May 23, 2012 along Harper-Westfall Road, about 6.2 mi. NW of Harper, OR.

I should point out for those of you that post images to iNaturalist, that this image is an excellent one that is useful for identifying paintbrushes as it gives a view of the inflorescence bracts, calyx lobes and tip of the corolla (all useful for paintbrush ID). The photographer also submitted full plant views as well as the stem leaves which are likewise handy for identification purposes.

To view additional images and a range map for desert paintbrush, please visit OregonFlora at:

https://oregonflora.org/taxa/index.php?taxon=3846