Bassia hyssopifolia
Five horn bassia
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Chenopodiaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes
Bassia hyssopifolia (Five horn bassia) is a non-native California herb in the Chenopodiaceae family.
Five horn bassia is a naturalized annual found in southern California, commonly occurring in disturbed sites, fields, and roadsides at elevations below 1,200 meters. Flowering from May to November, this plant produces small, tan-woolly flowers with delicate spines approximately 1 millimeter long. Growing to heights of 1.5 meters with slender, branching stems, it develops flat leaves 5 to 60 millimeters long that often wither with age. Its leaves are narrow, measuring 1 to 3.5 millimeters wide, and typically appear pale green. The fruit is small, approximately 1 to 1.5 millimeters in diameter, containing a dark brown seed.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species. Key differentiators: size, fruit spines, tan-woolly calyx
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed sites, fields, roadsides
Elevation: < 1200 m
California counties: Kern, Lassen, Fresno, Orange, Merced, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Contra Costa, Mono, San Diego, Inyo, San Benito, Ventura, Siskiyou, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Modoc, Alpine, San Joaquin, Colusa, San Francisco, Imperial, Glenn, Kings, Plumas, San Luis Obispo, Butte, Stanislaus, Alameda, San Mateo, Napa, Yolo, Solano, Tulare, Monterey
Outside California: widespread North America, native to Eurasia
Bloom period
Bassia hyssopifolia blooms May-Nov.
Conservation status
Cal-IPC Yes
How to tell it apart
vs Salsola: Bassia fruits have five hooked spines; Salsola fruits develop papery wings.; vs Atriplex: Bassia has hooked spines on fruits; Atriplex has two flat bracts enclosing fruits.; vs Suaeda: Bassia develops hooked spines in fruit; Suaeda has succulent leaves without spines.; vs Epilobium: Bassia has tiny clustered flowers; Epilobium has showy 4-petaled flowers.; vs Isocoma: Bassia lacks ray flowers; Isocoma has yellow composite flower heads.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bassia hyssopifolia native to California?
No. Bassia hyssopifolia is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Bassia hyssopifolia bloom?
Bassia hyssopifolia blooms May-Nov.
Where in California does Bassia hyssopifolia grow?
Bassia hyssopifolia occurs in Kern, Lassen, Fresno, Orange, Merced, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and other counties, at elevations of < 1200 m.
What plant family does Bassia hyssopifolia belong to?
Bassia hyssopifolia is in the Chenopodiaceae family, genus Bassia.
Is Bassia hyssopifolia invasive in California?
Bassia hyssopifolia is listed by Cal-IPC with an invasiveness rating of Yes.
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.