Gumweed: Grindelia squarrosa

Single gumweed flower 

Bright yellow flowers with sticky buds and bracts — that's Gumweed, aka Curlycup Gumweed, aka Grindelia squarrosa.

Gumweed grows well on the dry prairie, and in late July, these prairie wildflowers were abundant in Grasslands National Park.

What caught my interest were the large bracts below the petals; these — and their gummy tops — are perhaps most obvious while the flowers are still in bud.

Apparently there have been past medicinal uses for this plant, but they sound neither safe nor appealing to me!

Bracts on Gumweed buds and flowers 

Sprawling gumweed plant, with many buds 

Prairie Wildflower: Gumweed, or curlycup gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa)

Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Photo Date: July 28, 2011. 

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