Wild Wyethias- sunflowers in the foothills

Oakhurst’s official flower?

When I arrived here in the mountains of Central California, I slowly became familiar with some of the individual plants living here.  Right now the Mule’s ears are at their peak and here is a look at how they grow.

Mule's ears leaves are as big as your hand and bigger and soft like Lamb's ears

Mule’s ears leaves are as big as your hand and bigger and soft like Lamb’s ears

Hall’s Mule Ears, Wyethia elata
These are wonderful sunny flowers to encourage in the foothill garden. They grow, distinctively, in patches 6 to 8 feet wide, spreading with underground roots, and I’ve learned not to water them at all; they die if watered. The leaves are furry and grey and the flowers look like small sunflowers, about 2-3 inches wide.  They are in the sunflower family and is endemic (limited) to California alone, according to Calflora. It is included in the CNPS Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants. Of ten varieties of Wyethia in Caifornia, most are endemic to Central and Northern California, one Wyethia ovata, grows in Southern California.

 

The Wyethia patch in mid June

The Wyethia patch in mid June

 

Wyethia with brodiaea

Wyethia with brodiaea

 

Wyethia seedling in early April

Wyethia seedling in early April

 

Wyethia at the edge of the meadow buds, in early June when the poppies bloom

Wyethia at the edge of the meadow buds, in early June when the poppies bloom

 

Budding Wyethia looks almost exotic

Budding Wyethia looks almost exotic

The plants that grow along with this are Giant mountain dandelion, Pacific sanicle, Poisonoak, Tomcat clover, Bicolored lupine, June Grass, Redmaids, Blue Elderberry, California poppy, Yellow Mariposa lily and Foothill shooting star.

Wyethia elata--Hall's Mule Ears

Wyethia elata–Hall’s Mule Ears

In the foothills around Oakhurst, CA, they grow in their typical patches all along the roadsides. In taking this series of photos, I’ve become aware of how long they perform in the garden. they pop up in early March as seedlings, grow slowly up for a whole month and in early April are still in the seedling stage.

 

Weeding the wyethia patch definitely encourages more. Most weeds are Hedge parsley and bedstraw and English plantains

Weeding the wyethia patch definitely encourages more. Most weeds here were Hedge parsley and bedstraw and English plantains.

In the month of June, I weeded two large patches and one smaller one in the back garden area.  In the photo above, that whole bare area was covered in weeds. Now I hope the natives will be ables to flourish. Unfortunately, I’ve killed a patch on the front bank due to watering. Death by drip. I’ve since stopped watering that area at all, having planted redbuds, Creeping sage, Foothill penstemon and Manzanita ‘Howard McMinn’ and plugged the sprayers that reach this area. There are one or two sprouts growing, so I may get a reprieve.

 

The name says Grey, but the leaves are nice medium green, almost blue-green

The leaves are nice medium green, almost blue-green

 

Wyethia wild sunflower

Wyethia wild sunflower

I love Mule’s ears because they come up like clockwork every year, add loads of color, need no care except weeding and don’t seem to invade or decrease in number. The dry, crisp stems snap off easily to neaten the patch in the Fall. I just stamp them down.

 

Double Wyethia flower

Double Wyethia flower

 

Wyethia with leaf bugs

Wyethia with leaf hoppers

 

Come sit and watch the sunflowers

Come sit and watch the sunflowers….our own rare wild ones!

One large patch is near an old glider looking off onto the mountain.  Just beyond this patch is the entrance to the forest. When we arrived here there was an opening in the wire boundary fence and the deer had taken advantage of it.  A deer path ran crosswise all the way to the seasonal stream, or drainage ditch says Tractor Man. Quail nest in fallen branches just outside the fence.  It’s a good place to watch the sunflowers and the rest of the ‘show’.

 

Poison oak sneaking into the patch

Realities: Poison oak sneaking into the patch

 

Notes:

From Southwest Colorado Wildflowers

Nathaniel Wyeth was an 19th century eastern merchant who mounted several Western commercial and exploratory expeditions; the second included botanist Thomas Nuttall and ornithologist John Kirk Townsend.  Nuttall named the Wyethia genus in 1834 from specimens collected by Wyeth in 1833-1834 on his first expedition.

8 comments

  1. Town Mouse -

    How interesting! I wonder whether your mule’s ear and our mule’s ear is the same – ours blooms in April. And, regrettably, it’s pretty well impossible to get in the trade, so since I don’t have it on my little suburban lot, I just don’t have it. Great pictures!

    • Sue Langley -

      Hi Mouse! I guess there are a few varieties. I love these as you may be able to tell. Unfortunately, they grow from the roots so are hard to move…I haven’t been able to dig any up to transplant. Wonder if the seeds would sprout? They were my first ‘garden’ here. I simply placed a log edge around a patch and called it good!

  2. lostlandscape (James) -

    I went looking to my favorite seed sources and now realize how true Town Mouse’s comment is. Why aren’t these great plants more widely available? Is yours the only climate where they thrive?

  3. Desiree -

    May I please have a nice cup of coffee/tea while seated here on the bench, watching your lovely sunflowers grow? I am so comfortable and warm and really have no inclination to budge at all. It’s so peaceful here, Sue! So good for the soul! Thank you 🙂

  4. Sue Langley -

    James, I’m guessing that the Wyethias are hard to propagate for nurseries successfully. I have seen them advertised at Las Pilitas but there’s always been a note saying ‘not available’. I tried transplanting one dug up accidently and it did not take. Maybe collecting and planting seeds would work.

    Desiree, I thiought you’d like the gliders swing and in our imaginations, it’s nice to have you visit!

    • Sue Langley -

      These are such great plants, Brent…all over the roadsides as well as the patches we have here. I would like to test to see if they can be propagated and have tons of seeds to share. Email me,… anyone who wants some.

  5. SASKGIRL -

    Mine are growing wildly in Saskatchewan, Canada! They have only just started growing seedlings now (mid June), but I have about 400 seedlings from 4 bushes. I actually pulled most of them out last year, not realizing what they were. I moved the mature plants to a clay area in the back alley where they dropped their seeds and the babies are LOVING the heat and sunshine back there. Somehow I still have a ton in my flower garden, even though I moved all the adults before they seeded. Nice problem to have 😉

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