Bassia scoparia
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Chenopodiaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes
Bassia scoparia is a non-native California herb in the Chenopodiaceae family.
Bassia scoparia is a naturalized annual found in the California Ranges, Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, northern San Francisco Bay, Southern California Coast, San Bernardino Mountains, Great Basin, and Desert regions in disturbed places, fields, and roadsides at elevations below 2,300 meters. Flowering from August to November, this plant produces inconspicuous greenish flowers in densely hairy branched spikes. Growing 20 to 120 centimeters tall with erect, often branching stems, it forms a bushy and widely spreading plant. Its flat leaves are 8 to 50 millimeters long, narrow (1 to 6 millimeters wide), and typically glabrous or lightly hairy with three to five visible veins below the middle. The plant develops small fruits with subtle tubercles or wings less than 2 millimeters long, often partially hidden by dense hair clusters.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species. Key differentiators: larger size, lack of prominent spines, leaf venation, calyx hairiness
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed places, fields, roadsides
Elevation: < 2300 m
Outside California: to eastern United States, native to Eurasia
Bloom period
Bassia scoparia blooms Aug-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 scoparia native to California?
No. Bassia scoparia is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Bassia scoparia bloom?
Bassia scoparia blooms Aug-Nov.
What plant family does Bassia scoparia belong to?
Bassia scoparia is in the Chenopodiaceae family, genus Bassia.
Is Bassia scoparia invasive in California?
Bassia scoparia is listed by Cal-IPC with an invasiveness rating of Yes.
What habitat does Bassia scoparia grow in?
Bassia scoparia grows in Disturbed places, fields, roadsides.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.