Machaeranthera bigelovii or Machaeranthera pattersonii
(Bigelow's Tansyaster)
Family:
Asteraceae
(Sunflower)
Machaeranthera bigelovii
is a common purple daisy from the foothills to subalpine elevations. Bracts
are reflexed and glandular. Most sources list M. bigelovii and M.
pattersonii as synonyms for a single species, but Weber has split them into
separate species.
Compare to Machaeranthera canescens,
which grows on the plains. The bracts below the flower heads on M. canescens
are less glandular. The
two species are believed to hybridize.
