Scientific Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Aplopappus or Haplopappus gracilis, Xanthisma gracile and more see SEINET.
Other common names
yellow spiny daisy
yellow daisy
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
4 to 16 inches
Riparian
No
Covers large areas, 1 or 2 acres, with its bright yellow flowers. Often branched at base or throughout, moderately stout to stout, not wiry, moderately hairy.
Taprooted annual, bristly stems freely branching. Leaves hairy, once or twice divided. Stem leaves stalkless, appressed. Flowers yellow and radiate at branch tips; hairy, straw-colored at the bases. Flower head bracts in series of 5 to 6, bristle tipped.
Habitat
Dry sites, including rocky to sandy washes, slopes, and roadsides.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
7200
Flower Characteristics
Yellow ray and disc flowers. Approximately 20 to 30 ray flowers, to 1-1/4 inches wide. Terminal on upper branches. Multiple rows of bracts on the flower heads, outer much shorter than the inner, all with straw colored bases and dark green spots at tips.
Flower color
Yellow
Flower shape
Daisy or dandelion-like
Tubular
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
November
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Angled upward with spiny bristle at tip of each tooth. Lowest leaves have a few lobes. To 3/4 inch long and 1/4 inch wide.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Grayish-green
Leaf shape
Pinnatifid
Leaf margin
Toothed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
Yes
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Achenes are slender, slightly wider at bases and covered with dense short hairs, topped with bristles. There are numerous slender, pale unequal bristles at tip.
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
White to reddish-brown