Centromadia pungens subsp. laevis

Smooth tarplant, Smooth Tarplant

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Smooth tarplant is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in southern California coastal and Peninsular Range bioregions in open, poorly drained flats, grasslands, and disturbed sites at elevations of 90 to 500 meters. Flowering from April to September, this plant produces yellow flowers in dense, bristly heads with distinctive glandular characteristics. Growing with ascending to erect stems up to 60 centimeters tall, it forms spreading to compact clusters in low-lying areas. Its leaves have margins with bristly cilia and surfaces that are minutely glandular or nearly smooth, with midribs showing distinct bristly texture. The plant thrives in marginal habitats, often colonizing disturbed or waterlogged ground where other species struggle to establish.

Habitat: Open, poorly drained flats, depressions, waterway banks and beds, grassland, disturbed sites

Bloom period: Apr-Sep

Elevation: 90-500 m

Bioregions: SCo, PR

California counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Contra Costa, Kern, Los Angeles, Merced, San Joaquin, Tulare, Yolo

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