The several stout stems of this perennial usually grow 2 ft. tall and are branched above to form a rounded crown. Long-stalked, yellow, eight-petaled flowers open in late afternoon then fold under in intense heat and sunlight the next day. There are few to several flowers in the terminal clusters about 1 1/2 inches across. The 8-10 ray flowers are 1/2 inch long and are indented at the tip. The deeply cleft and toothed leaves are mostly basal, forming a large clump or winter rosette. This plant is popular on roadsides and blooms well even in drought conditions. Engelmannia is somewhat unusual in that it is a monotypic genus, meaning it contains one species. The genus of this plant is named for George Engelmann (1809-1884) who was born in Germany and settled in St. Louis, Missouri, as a young man. He was a physician and botanist, describing especially North American Abies (Firs), Agaves, Cactus (for which he described more than 108 species), Cuscuta (Dodder), Euphorbiaceae (Spurge Family), Juncus (Rushes), Juniperus (“Cedar”), Pinus (Pines), Vitis (Grapes), and Yuccas. When he died much of his collection went to Missouri Botanical Garden.