[Wikipedia] Distribution, Description, Varieties: Grindelia hirsutula is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names hairy gumplant and hairy gumweed.[2][3] Distribution Grindelia hirsutula is native to North America, widespread across Canada and in California and Oregon.[4][5] The species is highly variable, and many local populations have been named as varieties or as distinct species. All these taxa do, however, intergrade with one another.[6] Description Grindelia hirsutula is an erect perennial herb or subshrub sometimes as much as 2.5 m (8 ft) tall but usually much shorter. The plant is usually green but the stems are often red or purplish-brown and the leaves can be somewhat yellowish to reddish. The plant can produce numerous flower heads in branching arrays at the top of the plant. Each head is 2 to 3 cm wide with hemispheric cups of greenish phyllaries around the base, the bracts claw-like and bent away from the flowers. The center of the head is filled with many small yellow disc florets surround by numerous golden ray florets. The head produces a thick white exudate, especially in new flower heads.[6] Varieties Grindelia hirsutula var. maritima — San Francisco Gum Plant, San Francisco gumplant, coastal gumweed; endemic to coastal California in the San Francisco Bay Area.[7][8] (link added by Mary Ann Machi)