Anisocarpus madioides
Woodland tarweed, Woodland Tarweed
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Anisocarpus madioides (Woodland tarweed) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by clear elevation and habitat separation plus distinct leaf width.
Woodland tarweed is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, northern Sierra Nevada, central western California, and northern Palomar Mountains in moist forest and woodland habitats at elevations below 1,300 meters. Flowering from April to September, this plant produces yellow flowers with ray flowers 4 to 10 millimeters long and numerous disk flowers. Growing 15 to 80 centimeters tall with erect stems, it has a distinctive branching habit. Its leaves are 5 to 15 millimeters wide with acute tips, arranged alternately along the stems. The plant produces ray fruits 3 to 5 millimeters long with disk ovaries 3 to 4 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; clear elevation and habitat separation plus distinct leaf width
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist forest, woodland
Elevation: < 1300 m
California counties: Trinity, San Benito, Santa Clara, Humboldt, Marin, Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Del Norte, Monterey, El Dorado, Nevada, Siskiyou, Napa, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Butte, Yuba, Contra Costa, San Diego
Outside California: to southern British Columbia
Bloom period
Anisocarpus madioides blooms Apr-Sep.
How to tell it apart
vs Madia: Anisocarpus ray fruits have short beaks; Madia ray fruits lack beaks.; vs Hemizonia: Anisocarpus is perennial with beaked ray fruits; Hemizonia is annual without beaked fruits.; vs Layia: Anisocarpus has short-beaked ray fruits; Layia fruits have prominent feathery bristles.; vs Deinandra: Anisocarpus is perennial in moist woods; Deinandra is annual in drier habitats.; vs Hypochaeris: Anisocarpus has bell-shaped heads; Hypochaeris has dandelion-like heads with all ray flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Anisocarpus madioides native to California?
Yes. Anisocarpus madioides is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Anisocarpus madioides bloom?
Anisocarpus madioides blooms Apr-Sep.
Where in California does Anisocarpus madioides grow?
Anisocarpus madioides occurs in Trinity, San Benito, Santa Clara, Humboldt, Marin, Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino and other counties, at elevations of < 1300 m.
What plant family does Anisocarpus madioides belong to?
Anisocarpus madioides is in the Asteraceae family, genus Anisocarpus.
What habitat does Anisocarpus madioides grow in?
Anisocarpus madioides grows in Moist forest, 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.