Scientific Family
Asteraceae
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
3/4 to 5-1/2 inches
Riparian
No
Small annual growing at ground level; wooly with a coating of white hairs.
Grayish, wooly, narrow, pointed leaves and bracts; flowerheads mostly sessile in groups of 2 to 10, clustered at end of stems; flower bracts (phyllaries) are vestigial; fertile flowers are numerous and enclosed in wooly bracts.
Habitat
Relatively stable sandy or gravelly desert soils, often under shrubs, at rock bases.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
200
High elevation
5200
Flower Characteristics
The inflorescence bears spherical flower heads less than 1/2 inch in diameter. The head generally has no phyllaries, or has small ones that fall away early. It contains several woolly white flowers. Usually blooms Feb - May, sometimes blooms in August.
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
February
Last bloom month
August
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
The pointed leaves are up to 3/4 inch long and alternately arranged.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No