Nothocalais alpestris is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name alpine lake false dandelion.

It is native to the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada and other mountains from northern Washington to central California, where it grows in subalpine forests and meadows, most commonly at 1,200–2,700 m (4,000–9,000 ft) elevation.

[2] Nothocalais alpestris is a nearly hairless perennial herb growing from a thick caudex and reaching about 25 cm (10 in) tall.

The leaves are located around the base of the stem and have toothed, wavy, or smooth edges, and sometimes a thin coat of small hairs.

The fruit from each floret is a cylindrical achene up to 1 cm (1⁄2 in) long, not considering the large pappus of up to 50 hairlike white bristles which may be an additional centimeter in length.