Ligularia amplectens and Ligularia holmii.

The top photograph at left shows the wide green phyllaries of Ligularia amplectens becoming very dark and triangular-tipped. A second set of very narrow, dark phyllaries wraps over the green phyllaries. 

The bottom photograph at left shows a flower of Ligularia holmii with narrower and much lighter phyllaries.

Montane, subalpine. Meadows. Summer.
El Diente Trail, July 22, 2004.

Ligularia bigelovii phyllary color varies considerably.

L. bigelovii has only tightly packed disk flowers; it has no ray flowers and the flower heads always nod.  The upper three flowers in the long photograph are fully open; the branching pattern with one flower at the top is characteristic of this species. 

Subalpine, alpine. Meadows, scree. Summer.
Kennebec Pass, July 18, 2005.

Ligularia holmii is highly variable in plant size, ranging from just a few inches tall and wide on tundra (as pictured on the first page of Ligularia photographs) to robust clumps over a foot tall and wide as shown at left.  At Kennebec Pass hundreds of massive clusters of plants put on a spectacular show -- and there are dozens of other species tumbling down the mountain side with Ligularia holmii.

Subalpine, alpine. Meadows, scree. Summer.
Kennebec Pass, July 18, 2006.

Ray flowers vary in width, length, and the amount of curl.

Alpine. Scree. Summer.
Black Bear Pass, July 20, 2008.

Purple leaves, purple stem, and purple phyllaries make this an easy plant to identify.

Alpine. Scree. Summer.
Black Bear Pass, July 20, 2008.