Wyethia amplexicaulis aka Mule's Ear Wyethia

Wyethia amplexicaulis belongs to the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is a perennial: it lives for more than two years. People call it mule-ears or mulesears wyethia. It comes from the western and west-central United States. It grows in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Its range also spans Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. Kew places it in the temperate biome. Wild plants grow on open hillsides and in foothill meadows. Some of these meadows are dry. It does not grow on the driest slopes.

Plants reach about 2.6 feet (0.8 metres) tall. The sources give no mature width. They do not describe the leaves' shape or the stems' form. Plants For A Future lists blooms from July through August. Each flower has both male and female organs. Insects carry pollen between the flowers. The sources give no bloom colour or shape. They list seeds as food but do not describe the fruit.

Grow this plant in full sun, not shade. Its soil must drain well but hold some moisture. Plants For A Future says to use a gritty mix. Sand and loam soils suit it. Soil can be mildly acid, neutral, or mildly alkaline. Keep the soil moist; the source says it fares poorly in drought. This need holds true despite its growth in some dry meadows. Its listed USDA hardiness range is zones 4–8. The source also lists it for grown beds.

Plants For A Future records several parts as food. These are roots, seeds, young shoots, and leaves. People cooked the roots before they ate them. One account tells how Indigenous North Americans cooked them in pits. They used hot stones for this task. They kept fern leaves and earth over the roots to let them ferment. This took one or two days. The source does not say how to prepare seeds or young shoots. It lists leaves as food but gives no further guidance. It reports no known hazards; this does not prove safety.

Records also note an old use of roots on the skin. People used them as a poultice on bruised or swollen limbs. This record does not prove that the treatment works. The plant can be less welcome on grazing land. Plants For A Future reports large efforts to wipe it out in North America. Yet its separate entry says it has no weed potential. The sources name no pests or diseases that affect it.