The colors below indicate the kind of documentation available for this species
in the California counties where it occurs.
Mule's Ears or Indian Wheat Wyethia mollis (Asteraceae)
The sunflower family, to which this species belongs, is often referred to by the alternate family name, Compositae. The latter name refers to the flower heads, which consist of many florets. In the case of Mule's Ears, the florets are differentiated into two types — the strap-like ray florets encircling the flower head and the tubular disk florets that form a tight mass in the center. The common name “Indian Wheat” has been given to this plant, but not because it resembles wheat. California Indians gathered the seeds of this species in great quantity and ground it into flour.
DISTRIBUTION: Found in open forests and on rocky slopes between 1200–3400 meters mainly in the central and northern Sierra Nevada to the Cascade and Klamath Ranges of California.
