Agnorhiza bolanderi is a species of flowering plant known by the common name Bolander's mule's ears. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from a narrow section of the Sierra Nevada foothills about 275 kilometers long from Shasta County to Mariposa County.[1] It grows in chaparral and grassland habitat, usually on serpentine soils.[2] [3]
Agnorhiza bolanderi is a perennial herb growing from a thick taproot and caudex unit. This underground stem part helps it survive wildfire, which is common in its chaparral habitat.[1] The aboveground stem grows up to 30 centimeters long. It is glandular and sticky in texture. The leaves have oval blades up to 12 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a solitary bell-shaped, sunflower-like flower head sometimes tucked amongst the uppermost leaves. The head contains about 13 yellow ray florets which may be 2 to 3 centimeters long or more. At the center are yellow disc florets. The fruit is an achene about 7 millimeters long which does not have a pappus.[4] [5]
The species is named for German-American botanist Henry Nicholas Bolander, 1831–1897.[6]
