Eriophyllum obovatum Greene, Erythea 3: 123. 1895

Perennials (± taprooted). Proximal leaves alternate; blades oblanceolate, margins entire or coarsely serrate, plane, faces densely woolly. Heads borne singly or 2–3 per array. Peduncles mostly 4–10(–15) cm. Involucres 10–12 mm diam. Ray florets 10–13; laminae 6–7 mm. Cypselae 2.5–4 mm; pappi 0.4–1.2 mm. 2n =16.

Flowering Jun–Jul. Conifer forests; of conservation concern; 1300–2500 m; Calif.

Variety obovatum is known only from the Greenhorn and the San Bernardino mountains (M. Skinner and B. Pavlik 1994). It is apparently entirely diploid (J. S. Mooring 1975) and is suspected of forming natural hybrids with Eriophyllum confertiflorum (L. Constance 1937). The scarcely distinguishable var. lanceolatum is disjunct by 800 km northward.