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Grindelia integrifolia

Entire-leaved Gumweed

At a Glance: Seaside perennial with sticky heads of yellow flowers.

Height: Can grow up to 32 inches (80 cm) in height.
Growth Form: Herb.
Stems: Leafy, hairy stems; often stout branched stem-base.
Leaves: Leaves can be toothed or entire; stem leaves have alternating arrangement and are stalkless; basal leaves are oblong; stem leaves are lance-shaped; size: up to 40 cm (15.5 in) long, 4 cm (1.5 in) wide; color: green.
Flowers: Flowe heads are hemispheric, with 10-35 yellow ray flowers and numerous yellow disk flowers; involucral bracts have sticky, glandular resin and long, slender spreading tips; size: ray: 8-20 mm long; disc head: 1-3 cm wide.
Flowering Period: June.
Fruits: Somewhat flattened achenes; pappus has 2-3 firm, deciduous awns.


Photo © Starflower Foundation

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status: FACW (facultative wetland)	(data not available)

Soil Preferences
Can tolerate nutrient-poor, clay-like soils.
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value
Berries Seeds Nectar for hummingbirds Nectar for butterflies Host for insect larvae Thickets and shelter Thorny or protective cover	Insects: The flattened, radial flowers are visited by numerous butterfly species.

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Medicinal Uses: Several northwest native groups extracted a resin from gumweed that was used to treat asthma, bronchitis, whooping cough, and dermatitis caused by poison ivy.
Name Info: The Latin genus name Grindelia refers to the Russian Botanist, David Grindel. The Latin species name means entire leaf referring to the entire upper leaves that are not lobed or divided. The common name gumweed refers to the sticky, glandular resin the coats the bracts surrounding the flower heads.

Suggested References

Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 121.
Guard, B.J. 1995. Wetland Plants of Oregon & Washington. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 140.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 306.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 252.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 291.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.