Mule Ears are yellow-flowering perennial forbs in the Wyethia genus of the aster family. They are named for their large leaves, which are the approximate size and shape of the ears of mules. Many of them are native to the Yuba-Sutter area.
Big-scale balsam root is a Sutter County native plant that is closely related to mule ears; they are both in the Engelmanniinae subtribe of the Heliantheae tribe of the aster family. Big-scale balsam root is found in central oak woodland and valley grassland.
Narrowleaf Mule Ears
Narrowleaf mule ears (Wyethia angustifolia) as far as the eye can see, blooming in June near La Porte. Photo by queerbychoice. Narrowleaf mule ears (also called California compassplant) is a one- to two-foot-tall by one- to two-foot-wide, winter-deciduous plant that is native to Yuba and Sutter Counties and typically grows at elevations below 5,500 feet. It is most often found on slopes in central oak woodland, valley grassland, and yellow pine forest.
You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki and the Las Pilitas Nursery website. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Whitehead Mule Ears
Whitehead mule ears is native to Yuba and Sutter Counties and typically grows at elevations below 6,000 feet. It is found in central oak woodland, valley grassland, and yellow pine forest. Botanist Willis Linn Jepson collected whitehead mule ears on the Sutter Buttes in 1891.1
You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Bolander's Mule Ears
Bolander's mule ears (Wyethia bolanderi) flowers bend to face the ground on a steep slope. Photo by queerbychoice. Bolander's mule ears is native to Yuba County and typically grows at elevations between 1,000 and 3,000 feet. It is most often found on slopes. It tolerates serpentine.
You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa.
El Dorado Mule Ears
El Dorado mule ears (Wyethia reticulata) on Pine Hill in El Dorado County. El Dorado mule ears grow only in gabbro soil. Photo by queerbychoice. El Dorado mule ears is native to Yuba County. It is found in central oak woodland and yellow pine forest. It tolerates gabbro. It is listed as rare by the California Native Plant Society.
You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa.
