Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Puget Sound Gumweed (Grindelia integrifolia)

In yesterday's photo of Whiffen Spit you can see some yellow flowers scattered here and there on both sides of the trail. Above is a close-up of this hardy wild flower, Puget Sound Gumweed (Grindelia integrifolia). If you look closely at the buds just below the flower you can see some gooey, milky, sticky latex. I suspect the plant exudes this substance for protection from pests and predators. In any case it is the reason the numerous species of this plant are called Gumweed. Though everything else is dried up and brown this "weed" provides a welcome bit of color.
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3 comments:

  1. JoJoAugust 20, 2013 at 5:56 AM

    I bet I've seen these before and assumed they were dandelions.

    ReplyDelete
  2. William KendallAugust 20, 2013 at 4:34 PM

    I probably would have assumed the same.

    Nice colour!

    ReplyDelete
  3. StephanieAugust 20, 2013 at 7:58 PM

    Pretty flower and color.

    ReplyDelete

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