Yosemite woolly sunflower facts for kids

The Yosemite woolly sunflower (scientific name: Eriophyllum nubigenum) is a special kind of flowering plant. It belongs to the daisy family, just like the sunflowers you might know! This plant is quite rare and only grows in one specific area. It is found only in California, especially within and around Yosemite National Park. This makes it an endemic plant, meaning it naturally lives only in that one place in the world. You can find it in Tuolumne County and Mariposa County within the Sierra Nevada mountains.

What Does the Yosemite Woolly Sunflower Look Like?

The Yosemite woolly sunflower is an annual herb. This means it grows from a seed, flowers, produces new seeds, and then dies all within one year. It's not a tree or a bush that lives for many years.

Stem and Leaves

This small plant has a stem that can grow up to 15 centimeters (about 6 inches) tall. The stem is covered in a thick, soft, woolly fuzz. This fuzz helps protect the plant.

Its leaves are shaped like an oblong (like a stretched oval). They are usually one to two centimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) long. Just like the stem, the leaves also have a woolly texture. They do not have any teeth or jagged edges along their sides.

Flowers and Blooms

The flowers of the Yosemite woolly sunflower grow in a cluster. This cluster is called an inflorescence. Each cluster has several small, golden yellow flower heads.

Each flower head is actually made up of many tiny flowers!

• It has 4 to 6 ray florets. These are like the "petals" you see on a daisy, but they are very small, only about one millimeter long.
• In the center of the flower head, there are 10 to 20 disc florets. These are the tiny, tightly packed flowers that form the "eye" of the daisy.