Description
Pygmy Goldenweed is a mat-forming perennial with several stems that are 1-6 cm high and which arise from a taproot and branched rootcrown. The narrowly oblong, entire-margined basal leaves are 1-5 cm long and 1-5 mm wide. The alternate stem leaves are only somewhat smaller. Foliage is glabrous, except for sticky hairs toward the top. The bell-shaped flower heads are solitary on the stem tips and 8-10 mm high. Each head has ca. 2 series of slightly overlapping narrow involucral bracts. Tips of the outer heads are blunt, but those of the inner heads are pointed. The 10-35 yellow rays are 6-8 mm long, and the yellow disk flowers are 5-7 mm long. The elongate achenes are topped by numerous, white to tan bristles, forming a pappus.
Diagnostic Characteristics
H. LYALLII has sticky, glandular foliage. Other species of HAPLOPAPPUS with solitary flower heads have very reduced stem leaves. ERIGERON LINEARIS has yellow rays, but its leaves are linear.