Yellow Woollywhite

Yellow Woolly-White, Yellow Plainsman, College-Flower

Hymenopappus flavescens A. Gray

Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

▲ ▼ young plants

▲ ▼ Mature flowering plants

▲ ▼ closer view of stems and leaves

▲ ▼ closer view of inflorescences

▲ stem leaf

Hymenopappus flavescens A. Gray; Yellow Woolly-White, Yellow Plainsman, College Flower: (Bayer Code: not known; US Code HYFL)

U.S. native biennial wildflower that grows 0.75 to 3.5 feet tall, producing usually single, unbranched (except in upper portions when flowering commences), ridged and with short white hairs on lower stem
First forms a rosette of alternate leaves, oval to triangular in outline, with petioles, bipinnately lobed, gray-green due to many short white hairs, particularly on leave undersides; flowering stem leaves are smaller and less lobed; basal rosette leaves often withered by end of flowering
Head inflorescences are clusters in tips of upper stem branches; individual heads are about 0.25 inches in diameter and have no ray flowers but 20-40 yellow disk flowers
Bracts below the inflorescence form a bell-shaped structure and are yellow-green, oval , with round-pointed tips
Flowering is from late spring through late summer
Found in dry prairies, pastures, right-of-ways; prefers sandy soils

(Updated November 28, 2022)