Wasatch Wildflowers: Tasselflower Brickelbush (Brickellia grandiflora)

Photo: Tasselflower Brickelbush (Brickellia grandiflora) – photo: Ashley Brown

WASATCH MOUNTAINS, Utah — Tasselflower brickelbush (Brickellia grandiflora) is a member of the aster family and a perennial herb native to Utah. The bell-shaped flowers are easy to overlook and blend in with the surrounding vegetation. A close look at the plant reveals many stems with cream, yellow, and green rayless flowers clustered close together, each flower between 3/8 and 1/2 an inch long. The triangular-shaped leaves alternate, are lobed with pointed tips, and grow up to 5 inches long. The plant varies between 1 and 3 feet tall.

Tasslerflower brickelbush blooms mid-summer through autumn between 5300 and 10500 feet. Look for the plant growing on cliffs and in canyons of mountain shrub, aspen, and spruce-fir communities.