Scientific Family
Asteraceae
Other common names
blackfoot daisy
desert daisy
plains blackfoot
ash gray blackfoot
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Similar species
Zinnia acerosa
Height
To 16 inches
Riparian
No
A low, round, bushy plant. Flower heads of 7 to 13 broad white rays surround small yellow disc flowers. Deep woody roots allow it to reach water deep underground.
Leaves and flower head bracts with translucent oil glands. Stems covered in short stiff hairs. Leaves opposite, narrow, prominent midrib on lower surface. Ray flowers (7 to 13) creamy white, undersides often purple veined; disc flowers yellow, 25 to 50.
Habitat
Dry, rocky slopes, open sites; shrub lands, grasslands, and woodlands, often on limestone and wood cuts.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
2000
High elevation
5000
Flower Characteristics
Many 1 inch wide, white daisy-like flower heads per plant. The white rays are notched at the tips and surround yellow disc flowers. These honey-scented flower heads are solitary and terminal on slender stalks.
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Daisy or dandelion-like
Tubular
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
November
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Lance-shaped or narrow, sometimes slightly lobed margins, tapering at the base into winged stems.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Grayish-green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit is somewhat wrinkled with short irregular ridges.
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
Black
The seeds are food for birds in fall and winter.