Calycadenia spicata

Spicate calycadenia

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Spicate calycadenia is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native annual found in the Sierra Nevada Foothills and Central Valley in dry, open meadows, hillsides, and grasslands at elevations of 50 to 1,400 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces white flowers aging to reddish, with 1 to 5 ray flowers up to 11 millimeters long arranged in compact heads. Growing with stems 20 to 60 centimeters tall that are densely hairy and glandular toward the tips, it branches sparingly beyond the middle. Its leaves range 2 to 5 centimeters long, typically longest at mid-stem, with narrow, lance-like shape. The flower heads feature numerous peduncle bracts that partially conceal the developing flowers, with distinctive tack-like glands on the bracts and phyllaries.

Habitat: Common. Dry, open meadows, hillsides, grassland, openings in foothill woodland

Bloom period: May-Sep

Elevation: 50-1400 m

Bioregions: SNF, GV.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.