mountain dandelions

genus Agoseris

Member of yellow dandelion-like flowers
lettuce, chicory, dandelion, and salsify tribe (tribe Cichorieae)
sunflower family (family Asteraceae)
dicots (class Magnoliopsida)
flowering plants (subphylum Angiospermae)

There are no other wild species of this genus in the bay area.

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Key features:

• thickness of taproot
• stem leafy above base or not
• petal length (absolute or compared to phyllaries)
• petiole color
• growing in sand or not

slender taproot

petals ≥ 6 mm long

seaside agoseris
Agoseris apargioides

• ligules 8–16 mm, much exceeding involucre
• petiole ± purple
• leaf is either entire or includes generally 3–5 pairs of leaf lobes
• coastal dunes and sand hills [all others avoid sand]
• uncommon

spearleaf agoseris
Agoseris retrorsa

• ligule 6–15 mm, exceeding (or rarely equaling) length of involucre
• petiole ± purple
• generally 7–9 pairs of leaf lobes
• rare

prairie agoseris
Agoseris glauca var. glauca

• ligules 10–18 mm, much exceeding involucre
• petiole not purple
• leaves have no lobes (but may have a few weak tooths)
• very rare and out of range