Montanoa mollissima  

Shrubs 1-2(-4) m tall. Stems terete, brown, herbaceous parts puberulent. Leaves variable; petioles 1-6 cm long, partially or completely winged with auricles at base, puberulent to moderately pubescent, hairs 0.5-1.0 mm long; blades lanceolate to triangular (Fig. 36A-G), 2.5-14.5 cm long, 1-10 cm wide, apex acute to acuminate, margin entire to irregularly dentate to 3-lobed, adaxial surface densely pubescent, hairs pustular, abaxial surface densely glandular and pubescent, hairs white, less than 1.0 mm long. Peduncles 1.5 cm long, densely puberulent. Heads erect, 1.0-1.2 cm diam in flower, 2.0-2.5 cm diam in fruit, several to many in open cymose synflorescences in oppositely branched compound corymbs. Phyllaries 6-8, more or less uniseriate, equal, ovate-lanceolate, 4-7 mm long, 1.5-2.0 mm wide, green, apex acute to acuminate, margin ciliate, entire, abaxial surface densely pubescent, hairs 1.0 mm long, adaxial surface essentially glabrous. Ray florets 8-12; corollas white, ligules 15-30 mm long, 6-8 mm wide, adaxial surface essentially glabrous, abaxial surface moderately glandular and sparsely pubescent especially on the veins, hairs less than 0.5 mm long, tube 1.0-1.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, glabrous. Disc .florets (Fig. 36H) 75-100; corollas yellow, tube 1.0-1.5, 0.5 mm diam, glabrous, throat cylindrical, 2.0 mm long, 1.0 mm diam, essentially glabrous, lobes 5 (rarely 4), 1.0 mm long, 0.75 mm wide, apex acute, densely glandular and pubescent, hairs thick, less than 0.5 mm long; stamens with filaments 2.0 mm long, 0.2 mm wide, anthers not fully exserted from corolla, thecae yellow to brown, 1.5-1.75 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, apical appendages yellow, acute, 0.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, abaxial surface of apical appendage glandular, styles yellow, 4.5-5.5 mm long, enlarged at base, stigmatic surface yellow, 1.0 mm long, apical appendage yellow, long-acuminate, 0.5 mm long, 0.25 mm wide. Pales at anthesis ovate-triangular (Fig. 36I) 4-5 mm long, 1.0 mm wide, light yellow, apex long-acuminate, indurate, yellow, abaxial surface sparsely glandular and pubescent, hairs 1.0 mm long, adaxial surface glabrous, margin ciliate, entire; pales at fruiting persistent, almost narrowly triangular (Figs. 32A; 36J, K), 9-12 mm long, 2.5-3.0 mm wide, indurate with prominent parallel veins, stramineous, apex tapering to a slightly recurved and indurate tip, margin sparsely ciliate, entire, abaxial surface sparsely glandular and pubescent, hairs 0.5-1.0 mm long, adaxial surface glabrous. Achenes brownblack, 3.0-3.5 mm long, 2.0 mm wide, smooth. Chromosome number, n = 19.

Funk, V. A. "The Systematics of Montanoa (Asteraceae, Heliantheae)" in Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. Vol. 36. The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY. 1982.