Townsendia hookeri (Hooker's Townsendia) - photos and description
Involucre about 10 mm wide.
Flower petal about 8 mm long.
Involucral bracts have a tuft of hairs at the tip
General: Acaulescent plants with a tufted growth habit, growing from a taprooted caudex.
Flowers: Flower heads sessile among the leaves, showy, we measured a flower head at 25 mm diameter, petals to 9 mm long, disc flower at 5 mm long, and the involucre at 9 mm wide and 10 mm high.
Leaves: Leaves are all basal, tufted, linear to linear-oblanceolate, strigose, grey-green in colour, we measured a leaf at 12 mm long by 1 mm wide.
Height: Not applicable.
Habitat: Dry and eroded hills.
Abundance: Extremely rare, ranked as an S2 (as of 2023) by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.
Origin: Native.
Similar species: Very similar to the more common Townsendia exscapa, however that plant is larger with flower petals (ray florets) from 12 to 18 mm long (Flora of North America), an involucre 12 to 25 mm wide (Flora of North America), and without a tuft of hairs at the tip of involucre bracts (Flora of the Great Plains); whereas Townsendia hookeri has flower petals 8 to 12 mm long (Flora of North America), an involucre 8-18 mm wide (Flora of North America), and with a tuft of hairs at the tip of involucre bracts (Flora of the Great Plains).
When and where photographed: The above photos were taken May 11th and 20th, rocky hilltop, Cypress Hills Provincial park, about 450 km southwest of Regina, and May 12th, prairie hilltops, Big Muddy, about 150 km south of Regina, SK, and May 17th Buffalo Grass Eco Reserve about 200 km southeast of our home in Regina, SK.