American Saw Wort

Saussurea americana is closely related to an Asian species, S. foliosa Ledebour.

Plants 30–120+ cm; rootstocks short, stout; herbage loosely tomentose when young, glabrescent, sometimes ± glandular. Stems 1–many, leafy, simple or with ascending branches. Leaves cauline, usually more than 20, well distributed, proximal and mid with winged petioles to 6 cm, wings sometimes decurrent 1–2 cm on stems, blades lanceolate to triangular-ovate, 5–15 cm, bases cordate to truncate or tapering, margins sharply dentate, apices acute; mid and distal usually sessile, smaller, narrower, bases tapering. Heads 5–30+ in tight to open corymbiform arrays; (peduncles 0–5 cm). Involucres 10–15 mm. Phyllaries in ca. 5 series, strongly unequal, outer ± ovate, inner lanceolate, abaxial faces pale green, distally dark purplish to nearly black, loosely tomentose. Receptacles naked. Florets 8–21; corollas usually pale lavender-blue to dark purple (rarely white), 11–13 mm; tubes 5–6.5 mm, throats 1.5–2 mm, lobes 3.5–4 mm. Cypselae 4–6 mm; pappus bristles brownish, outer 3–7 mm, inner 9–10 mm.

Saussurea americana is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name American saw-wort. It is native to northwestern North America from Alaska to far northern California to Montana, where it grows in mountain habitat, such as meadows and forests. It is a perennial herb producing one or more hairy, glandular, erect stems up to a meter tall or more from a thick caudex. The lance-shaped leaves are up to 15 centimeters long and have toothed edges, especially the larger lower leaves. The inflorescence is a cluster of several flower heads, each a bullet-shaped body covered in purple or purple-tinged green phyllaries. The head opens at the tip to bloom with several white to purple tubular disc florets; there are no ray florets. The fruit is an achene tipped with a pappus, the whole unit sometimes exceeding a centimeter in length.