Greene's Goldenbush

A tomentose entity that was recognized as Haplopappus greenei subsp. mollis differs also in other ways from typical Ericameria greenei. It may merit recognition at some level. A biosystematic and population-level investigation of this complex is needed to better understand the causes and significance of such variation.

Plants 10–30 cm. Stems erect to ascending, green when young, soon reddish to brownish, branched, glabrous or tomentose, stipitate-glandular. Leaves mostly erect or ascending; blades spatulate (flat), 15–30 × 3–7 mm, midnerves (and sometimes 2 fainter, collateral nerves) evident (slightly raised abaxially), apices obtuse, mucronate, faces glabrous or tomentose and/or stipitate-glandular ; axillary fascicles absent. Heads (12–22) usually in (leafy) congested, cymiform or racemiform arrays, rarely borne singly . Peduncles usually less than 20, rarely to 100 mm (leafy). Involucres broadly campanulate, 8–12 × 12–15 mm. Phyllaries 18–28 in 2–3 series, green to tan, lanceolate to elliptic, 10–14 × 1.3–2.7 mm, subequal (outer sometimes slightly longer than inner), outer herbaceous or with herbaceous appendages, inner mostly chartaceous, midnerves (and often 2 collateral nerves) evident, (margins often narrowly membranous, fimbriate or tomentose) apices acute, acuminate to cuspidate, abaxial faces stipitate-glandular. Ray florets (0–)1–7; laminae 7–10 × 1.5–2.8 mm. Disc florets 7–20; corollas 8–9.5 mm. Cypselae tan to reddish, ellipsoid, 5–7 mm, glabrous or distally hairy; pappi off-white to reddish brown, 7–9 mm. 2n = 18.

Haplopappus greenei A. Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 16: 80. 1880 (as Aplopappus); H. greenei subsp. mollis (A. Gray) H. M. Hall

Ericameria greenei is a species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Greene's goldenbush. It is native to the mountains of the western United States in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and the northern California as far south as Lake and Tuolumne Counties.

Ericameria greenei grows in rocky and open wooded habitat. It is a small shrub growing up to about 25 centimeters (10 inches) tall with branches lined with short, narrow, hairless to glandular, woolly leaves. The inflorescence is a cluster of flower heads at the tips of stem branches. Each head is lined with sticky, glandular phyllaries and contains as many as 20 yellowish disc florets and sometimes a few yellow ray florets but sometimes none. The fruit is an achene topped with a brownish pappus.