Scientific Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Pectis palmeri
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
To 20 inches
Riparian
No
Strongly spicy-scented, plants taprooted; stems erect to somewhat trailing then ascending, may be sparsely hairy, hairs point downward, yellow ray and disc flowers.
Spicy-scented, tap-rooted; stems erect to ascending; leaves narrow, opposite, 1 to 3 pairs of bristles on margins; flower heads yellow, borne singly or in leafy clusters; ray flowers 8 to 13, disc 20 to 55, stalks 3/4 inch to 3 inches, bracts glandular.
Habitat
Deserts, desert grasslands, arid scrub, dry woodlands.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
1970
High elevation
5250
Flower Characteristics
Flower heads mostly solitary or in rounded clusters, at branch tips and in stem axils and forks, flower heads held above the leaves; 8 to 13 ray and 20 to 55 disc flowers.
Flower color
Yellow
Flower shape
Daisy or dandelion-like
Tubular
No
First bloom month
August
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves narrow to narrowly oval, margins with 1 to 3 pairs of bristles, margins smooth, dotted with round glands, to 2 inches long, surfaces may have a few hairs.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Short-hairy; ray achenes have 1 to 4 slender bristles; disc achenes have 15 to 30 short barbed bristles.
Fruit type
Achene