Hulsea, commonly known as alpinegold, is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae (order Asterales), native to western North America. The genus comprises annual or perennial herbs that grow from stout, erect stems, which range from lightly fuzzy to densely woolly in texture. Foliage is concentrated toward the base of the stem. At the apex, plants bear compact, daisy-like flower heads: ray florets in shades of yellow through reddish-orange surround a tightly packed centre of disc florets. The fruits are typically hard and black, tipped with a pappus of scales or bristles that aids wind dispersal.
The genus ranges across the mountains and high-elevation habitats of California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, and Baja California, Mexico. Many species are characteristic of subalpine or alpine zones, growing on rocky slopes, pumice fields, and talus. Notable members include Hulsea algida (Pacific hulsea), Hulsea nana (dwarf alpinegold), Hulsea californica (San Diego alpinegold), and Hulsea vestita (pumice alpinegold).
Distribution
Hulsea is native to western North America, with species distributed across high-elevation habitats in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, and Baja California, Mexico. Most members favour subalpine to alpine terrain, including rocky slopes, talus, and volcanic pumice fields.
Ecology
Species in the genus occupy montane to alpine habitats in the mountains of western North America, typically growing on rocky, often nutrient-poor substrates such as talus slopes and pumice. Their woolly or glandular stem surfaces are adaptations to harsh, exposed conditions at high elevation.
