Scientific Family
Asteraceae
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
4 to 16 inches
Riparian
No
Small, slender plant with daisy-like flower heads with yellow ray and greenish disc flowers.
Distinguished by being a relatively small annual with opposite leaves, growing from a taproot; stems often turn reddish; short hairs all over; distinctive conic-shaped flower heads with small but showy yellow rays with 2 teeth at the ends.
Habitat
Open places, washes, scrub-lands, pinyon-juniper woodlands.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
3500
High elevation
7500
Flower Characteristics
The flower heads are small and have a rounded dome of green disc flowers and a ring of yellow ray flowers with 2 points on the ends.
Flower color
Yellow with greenish disc
Flower shape
Daisy or dandelion-like
Tubular
No
First bloom month
July
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
The leaves usually have 3 prominent lengthwise veins and are stiffly hairy and rough-textured. The stems are spreading to upright and covered in stiff, straight hairs.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
3 awns at the base of the achenes.
Fruit type
Achene