Until its discovery in Theodore Roosevelt Park in 1990, the nearest known occurrence of golden crownbeard to North Dakota was in extreme southeastern South Dakota. Elsewhere, the plant ranges south to northern California, Mexico, and North Carolina at elevations under 9,000 ft.
Golden crownbeard is a taprooted annual up to three feet tall.
Plants are grayish-green from a covering of stiff hairs. Look for golden crownbeard from July through September on open sites in the badlands. I have no information on the value of this plant for livestock, but expect it would be small. The Hopi are said to have used the plant to relieve the symptoms of spider bites. Other members of this genus were used for fevers and their talc-like ashes served to protect the fingers of those spinning fibers for fabrics and thread.