Taxon Report

Wyethia invenusta (Greene) W.A. Weber

rayless mule's ears

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Wyethia invenusta, commonly known as rayless mule's ears, is a perennial herb in the Asteraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Lower montane coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 600 to 2300 meters. Wyethia invenusta is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Wyethia invenusta (Greene) W.A. Weber
Common Name:	rayless mule's ears
Family:	Asteraceae
Element Code:	PDAST9X090
USDA Plants Symbol:	AGIN8
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: (May)Jun-Aug(Oct)	(May)Jun-Aug(Oct)
Elevation:	600-2300 (1970-7545)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Lower montane coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Gravelly (sometimes)
Microhabitat Details:	Found in open conifer forest, sometimes with Sequoiadendron giganteum as a dominant species.

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	G3G4
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from CBR to 4.2 on 2024-09-26 Considered But Rejected on 2006-01-10

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)

Quads: Name (Quad Code)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes




Threats:
Threatened by logging and other timber harvest activities.
Taxonomy:
Placed in Agnorhiza invenusta in the Plants National Database, Flora of North America, and iNaturalist.

Selected References

Proposed addition to CRPR 4.2, G3 / S3 (2024)

Pittonia 1: 280–286 (1889)

American Midland Naturalist 35: 400–452 (1946)

Phytologia 85: 19–21 (1998)

American Midland Naturalist 35: 400–452 (1946)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 15 November 2025].