Centromadia pungens subsp. pungens

Common spikeweed, Common Spikeweed

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Common spikeweed is a California native perennial found in southern North Coast Ranges, southern North Coast Inner, Cascade Range, southern Sierra Nevada Foothills, Central Valley, Central Western California, southern Southwest California, southern Modoc Plateau, and western edge of Desert Mountains in grasslands, saltbush scrub, and disturbed sites at elevations up to 1,200 meters. Flowering from April to November, this plant produces yellow to brown flowers with distinctive spine-tipped paleae that protrude beyond the flower heads. Growing with spreading or ascending stems 10 to 50 centimeters tall, it develops a robust and often bristly appearance. Its leaves are variable, with surfaces ranging from smooth to coarsely hairy, often featuring a bristly midrib and occasionally ciliate margins near the base. The plant is particularly notable for its aggressive growth in disturbed habitats and its intricate, spiny flower structures.

Habitat: Grassland, saltbush scrub, disturbed sites

Bloom period: Apr-Nov

Elevation: < 1200(1800) m

Bioregions: s NCoRO, s NCoRI, CaR, s SNF, GV, CW, SW (exc ChI, WTR), s MP, w edge DMoj

California counties: Kern, Lake, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Solano, Sonoma, Tulare, Modoc, Stanislaus, Yolo, Amador, Humboldt, Santa Barbara, Siskiyou, Alameda, Contra Costa, Colusa, Fresno, Marin, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Lassen, Madera, Sutter, Santa Cruz, Nevada, San Diego, Kings

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