Selected Plants of Navajo Rangelands

Take care of our Navajo Rangelands

Curlycup gumweed
Ch’ilbílátahaltsóíí

Growth habit, showing low, bushy stature and numerous stems with yellow flowers

Curlycup gumweed is a short-lived perennial or biennial forb averaging 1 to 3 feet high. Numerous branching stems bear alternately arranged leaves, typically 1 to 4 inches long with entire to serrate—or even somewhat lobed—margins. The flower heads are radiate with 25 to 40 yellow rays and a yellow center. The involucral bracts are strongly rolled back, and highly resinous. The fruit is an achene about 1/8 inch long bearing 2 to 3 awns. Flowering occurs in mid- to late-summer, typically beginning in July and continuing through August and into September. Occasional plants will be seen with flowers persisting into November.

Side view of a flower, showing involucral bracts surrounding the entire base of the flower
Side view of a flower, showing involucral bracts surrounding the entire base of the flower
Flower with yellow rays and yellow disk flowers
Foliage with slightly serrate leaf margins

Copyright 2018 New Mexico State University. Individual photographers retain all rights to their images. Partially funded by the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (westernsare.org; 435.797.2257), project EW15-023. Programs and projects supported by Western SARE are equally open to all people. NMSU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action educator and employer..

NMSU does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, retaliation, serious medical condition, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, spousal affiliation or protected veteran status in its programs and activities as required by equal opportunity/affirmative action regulations and laws and university policy and rules. For more information please read the NMSU Notice of Non-discrimination (opens in new window).