Acourtia microcephala

Sacapellote

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Sacapellote is a California native perennial found in southern coastal ranges and southwestern California on shrubby and wooded slopes, especially prominent after fires, at elevations below 1,550 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces white to pink-purple flowers in compact heads 5 to 10 millimeters wide. Growing with multiple stems 60 to 160 centimeters tall emerging from a woody base, the plant is very leafy and typically branches only in its upper half. Its leaves are widely ovate to elliptic, 2.5 to 15 centimeters long, with truncate bases, acute tips, and finely toothed edges densely covered in glandular hairs. The plant is particularly notable for its ability to thrive and become prominent in areas recently affected by wildfire.

Habitat: shrubby and wooded slopes, especially prominent after fires

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: < 1550 m

Bioregions: SCoR, SW

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.