# Curlycup Gumweed

*Grindelia squarrosa*

Indigenous Great Plains tribes used the sticky, gummy flower heads as a natural chewing gum and brewed them into a tea to treat asthma and bronchitis.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Asterales › Asteraceae › Grindelia
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Dry prairies, plains, pastures, roadsides, and disturbed soils.
- **Diet:** Autotrophic (photosynthesis)
- **Range:** North America, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains
- **Size:** 10 to 100 cm tall
- **Lifespan:** 2-3 years (biennial to short-lived perennial)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Herbicide spraying, intensive agriculture, and urban development.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. The sticky white resin on the flower heads is non-toxic but can cause mild skin irritation in sensitive individuals. Safe to observe up close. If resin gets on your skin, wash with soap and water or rubbing alcohol to dissolve the sticky sap.

## About

Grindelia squarrosa , also known as a curly-top gumweed or curlycup gumweed , is a small North American biennial or short-lived perennial plant.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/12966de4-7412-4600-ad60-87fd057c1641
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/77305
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grindelia squarrosa
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/88114065/medium.jpg (Jared Shorma, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.