Chaenactis carphoclinia

Pebble pincushion

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Pebble pincushion is a California native annual found in desert regions in rocky or gravelly habitats. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces white to pale pink flowers in small heads with distinctive needle-like phyllary tips. Growing with a single stem branching distally, it reaches 10 to 30 centimeters tall with delicate, finely divided leaves. Its leaf blades are intricately lobed with 2 to 7 pairs of curved, cylindrical leaf segments that give the plant a distinctive feathery appearance. The plant's white powdery hairs and slender, stiff phyllary tips create a unique textural quality in desert landscapes.

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