Cushion Townsendia is a small, stemless, perennial daisy which forms small cushions, usually less than 2 cm tall, from simple or branched rootstocks. Its leaves are narrowly to broadly spatula shaped, 6-15 mm long and 1-3 mm wide, and are loosely covered by long, woolly, multi-cellular hairs. The flowers are borne in stemless composite heads There are usually 3-5 series of linear to narrowly lance shaped involucre bracts. The strap-shaped corollas ("petals") of the ray flowers are white, pink, or lavender, and are 8-16 mm long. The disk flowers have shorter, yellow, tubular corollas. Both ray and disk corollas are encircled by a pappus of slender bristles. The achenes (dry, 1-seeded fruit) are 4.2-6.2 mm long and moderately hairy.
Flowering occurs in July in the higher mountains, and has been noted as early as May in lower mountain ranges such as the Tendoy Range.
Townsendia spathulata is our only other stemless
Townsendia with narrowly spoon-shaped rather than linear leaves; it also differs in that it has densely, long-hairy leaves, and the heads are usually less than 15 mm wide
. Townsendia condensata and
T. spathulata have been confused in some floristic treatments. The flower heads of
T. condensata are nearly as large as the leaf rosettes. The following
Townsendia species have stems obscured by leaves and flowers, are perennial, and usually have a woody branched caudex, but can be separated by a combination of these characteristics:
Cushion Townsend-daisy–
Townsendia condensata, SOC
*Leaves: Villous, spoon-shaped, and 5-20 mm long.
*Flowers: Heads are nearly stemless. Involucre is 10-25 mm high. Ray florets have pink petals that dry to lavender, 6-15 mm long.
*Habitat: Found at and above timberline (subalpine/alpine).
Sword Townsendia –
Townsendia spathulata, SOC
*Leaves: Wooly to villous (long, soft, crooked,
and unmatted hairs); Spoon-shaped except in Broadwater County where leaves are nearly linear. 5-10 mm long.
*Flowers: Heads are nearly stemless. Involucre is 6-10 mm high. Involucral bracts are villous and have acute tips except in Broadwater County where they are sparsely strigose. Ray florets have off-white or pinkish petals, 4-10 mm long.
*Habitat: Grows on limestone derived soils from low elevations to alpine.
Slender Townsend-daisy –
Townsendia leptotes, Status Under Review
*Leaves:
Sparsely strigose (stiff, straight, sharp,
and appressed hairs). Linear to oblong in shape, and 12-25 mm long.
*Flowers: Heads usually sessile. Involucre is 8-12 mm high. Ray florets have white to pinkish petals.
*Habitat: Rocky ridges and sandy slopes.
Hooker’s Townsend-daisy –
Townsendia hookeri*Leaves:
Densely strigose. Linear to oblanceolate in shape, 5-30 mm long.
*Flowers: The involucre is 7-12 mm high. Involucral bracts have ciliate margins and
are tipped with a tuft of hairs (cilia). Ray florets have white to pink petals.
*Habitat: Occurs in grasslands, sagebrush steppe, and woodlands at lower elevations.
Silky Townsend-daisy –
Townsendia exscapa*Leaves: Strigose. Linear to oblanceolate in shape, 10-40 mm long.
*Flowers: The involucre is 12-20 mm high. Involucral bracts have ciliate margins and
are not tipped with a tuft of hairs (cilia). Ray florets have white to pink petals.
*Habitat: Occurs in grasslands and sagebrush steppe at lower elevations.
Hoary Townsend-daisy –
Townsendia incana*Leaves: Densely strigose. Linear in shape, 10-20 mm long.
*Flowers: Heads have peduncles of 3-40 mm long that grow from leafy stems of 1-3 cm long. The involucre is 6-9 mm high. Ray florets have pinkish petals.
*Fruits: Achenes are hairy.
*Habitat: Grows on sandy calcareous soil of grasslands, sagebrush steppe, and woodlands at lower elevations.
Wyoming Townsend-daisy –
Townsendia montana*Leaves: Strigose. Leaves are oblong to spatulate in shape, 10-30 mm long.
*Flowers: Heads have peduncles of 3-40 mm long that grow from leafy stems of about 1 cm long. Involucre is 6-11 mm high. Ray florets have blue petals.
*Fruits: Achenes typically lack hairs (glabrous).
*Habitat: Grows on stony, usually calcareous soils of fellfields and meadows in the alpine-subalpine zone.
The species inhabits open, rocky, often limestone-derived soil of exposed ridges and slopes near or above treeline. In Glacier National Park, it grows on the shingle of exposed ridges and slopes; reported associates include Eriogonum androsaceum and Dryas octopetala.
The low stature and sparsely vegetated habitat suggest that this species is a poor competitor.
Risks are likely minimal given the remoteness of this species' high-altitude habitat.
