Agoseris glauca var. glauca
Pale agoseris
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Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Agoseris glauca var. glauca (Pale agoseris) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by unlobed leaves and glaucous coating distinctive.
Pale agoseris is a California native perennial found in the central Sierra Nevada and Great Basin in wet, often alkaline or saline meadows and stream margins at elevations of 1,400 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces bright yellow flowers in heads 10 to 20 millimeters wide with delicate ray florets that extend well beyond the green or rosy-purple involucre. Growing 20 to 60 centimeters tall with erect stems, it develops long lance-linear to oblanceolate leaves that are mostly glabrous and slightly glaucous. Its leaves typically measure 10 to 30 centimeters long, with a narrow, long-tapered shape and occasionally weak teeth along the margins. The fruit develops as a fusiform to narrowly conic body with uniform straight ribs, topped by a short beak less than half the length of the seed body.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Co-occurs with 11 species; unlobed leaves and glaucous coating distinctive
Habitat and range
Habitat: Generally wet, often alkaline or saline meadows, stream and lake margins, seeps, generally silty or clay soils
Elevation: 1400-2500 m
Outside California: to British Columbia, Ontario, Michigan, Colorado, New Mexico
Bloom period
Agoseris glauca var. glauca blooms Jun-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Taraxacum: Agoseris bracts graduate gradually in size; Taraxacum has dramatically smaller outer bracts and longer one-sided pappus.; vs Hypochaeris: Agoseris has completely bractless stems; Hypochaeris often has small leafy bracts partway up the stem.; vs Microseris: Agoseris pappus bristles evenly distributed; Microseris has 5-80 white scales (not plume-like bristles).; vs Uropappus: Agoseris has plume-like bristles; Uropappus has 5 large silvery scales alternating with 5 smaller ones.; vs Leontodon: Agoseris has unbranched scapes; Leontodon often has branched stems with multiple heads.
Frequently asked questions
Is Agoseris glauca var. glauca native to California?
Yes. Agoseris glauca var. glauca is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Agoseris glauca var. glauca bloom?
Agoseris glauca var. glauca blooms Jun-Aug.
What plant family does Agoseris glauca var. glauca belong to?
Agoseris glauca var. glauca is in the Asteraceae family, genus Agoseris.
What habitat does Agoseris glauca var. glauca grow in?
Agoseris glauca var. glauca grows in Generally wet, often alkaline or saline meadows, stream and lake margins, seeps, generally silty or clay soils.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Agoseris grandiflora — Bigflower agoseris
- Agoseris grandiflora var. grandiflora — Giant mountain dandelion
- Agoseris grandiflora var. leptophylla — Giant mountain dandelion
- Agoseris heterophylla — Annual agoseris
- Agoseris heterophylla var. cryptopleura — Mountain dandelion
- Agoseris heterophylla var. heterophylla — Annual agoseris
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.