Wasatch Wildflowers: Showy Goldeneye (Heliomeris multiflora)

Photo: Showy Goldeneye (Heliomeris multiflora) – photo: Ashley Brown

WASATCH MOUNTAINS, Utah — Showy goldeneye (Heliomeris multiflora) is a perennial herb native to Utah. It has long and narrow leaves, lanceolate or linear-shaped, that grow alternate or opposing on a narrow stalk. The bright yellow flowers include a dark golden disk flower ¼ to ½ inches across that’s surrounded by 10 to 14 bright yellow ray flowers. The plant grows between 1 and 2 feet tall, often in large communities, coloring whole meadows, and slopes fiery yellow.

Showy goldeneye is an important species for pollinators, particularly bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. It’s also a food source for larger animals like deer and elk, who eat the leaves and flower heads, while birds and small rodents eat the seeds.

Showy goldeneye grows from mid-summer through autumn in moist soils, often in shade, between 4400 to 10200 feet in elevation.