Adenophyllum cooperi
Cooper dyssodia
(c) Bobby McCabe, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Adenophyllum cooperi (Cooper dyssodia) is a native California subshrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by key differences in leaf shape, peduncle length, and ray width.
Cooper dyssodia is a California native perennial found on the northern edge of the San Bernardino Mountains and Mojave Desert in desert washes, alluvial fans, and open scrub woodland at elevations of 450 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from April to June and September to November, this plant produces yellow-orange ray flowers that mature to red-orange, with distinctive heads 15 to 18 millimeters wide. Growing 25 to 50 centimeters tall with a glaucous (bluish-gray) herbage, it has erect stems with distinctive leaves. Its leaves are 8 to 25 millimeters long, sometimes slightly lobed at the base, with oil glands near the base and tip, and range from nearly glabrous to densely fine-haired. The fruit is 5 to 7 millimeters long with pappus scales 7 to 10 millimeters in length, each composed of 5 to 9 fused bristles.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; key differences in leaf shape, peduncle length, and ray width
Habitat and range
Habitat: Washes, alluvial fans, sometimes rocky slopes, in open scrub, woodland
Elevation: 450-1600 m
Outside California: to southwestern Utah, northwestern Arizona
Bloom period
Adenophyllum cooperi blooms Apr-Jun, Sep--Nov.
How to tell it apart
vs Bebbia: Adenophyllum has both ray and disk flowers; Bebbia has only disk flowers (no rays).; vs Tagetes: Adenophyllum bracts are separate in 2 rows; Tagetes bracts are fused into a tube.; vs Porophyllum: Adenophyllum has divided leaves; Porophyllum has simple, entire club-shaped leaves.; vs Encelia: Adenophyllum has flat-segmented aromatic leaves; Encelia has simple entire leaves, less pungent.; vs Eriogonum: Adenophyllum is in Asteraceae with daisy flowers; Eriogonum is in Polygonaceae with tiny clustered flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Adenophyllum cooperi native to California?
Yes. Adenophyllum cooperi is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Adenophyllum cooperi bloom?
Adenophyllum cooperi blooms Apr-Jun, Sep--Nov.
What plant family does Adenophyllum cooperi belong to?
Adenophyllum cooperi is in the Asteraceae family, genus Adenophyllum.
What habitat does Adenophyllum cooperi grow in?
Adenophyllum cooperi grows in Washes, alluvial fans, sometimes rocky slopes, in open scrub, woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.