Columbia goldenweed

Columbia goldenweed is one of the last blooming wildflowers in our foothills, followed only by snow buckwheat, rabbitbrush, and tall buckwheat.

This robust plant grows one to two feet tall greenish-golden stems from its taproot. Long leaves, up to sixteen inches, grow mostly at the base, but smaller ones appear on the stem. The leaves are thick and tough, minimizing water evaporation. The large flowering heads at the ends of the stems have the look of a tiny pineapple with a fringe of yellow tufts on a flat top. This member of the Sunflower family lacks “petals”, having only dense clusters of slender tubular flowers. These flower heads remain intact through the winter.