Chaenactis douglasii
Chaenactis
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Chaenactis douglasii (Chaenactis) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family.
Chaenactis is a California native perennial found in various mountain and desert regions, growing in open habitats at elevations ranging from low to mid-elevation landscapes. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces delicate pink to white flowers in small heads approximately 5 to 8 millimeters long. Growing with branching stems 15 to 45 centimeters tall, it develops with a distinctive grayish appearance due to cobwebby hairs that thin with age. Its leaves are complex, featuring 2-pinnately lobed blades with 5 to 9 pairs of slightly curled and twisted primary lobes, creating an intricate textural appearance. The fruit develops with a series of 10 to 20 small scales, giving the plant additional visual complexity.
How to tell it apart
vs Eriophyllum: Eriophyllum has obvious yellow ray flowers; Chaenactis completely lacks rays; vs Lasthenia: Lasthenia has bright yellow rays; Chaenactis rayless with white/purple tubular flowers only; vs Malacothrix: Malacothrix has all strap-shaped flowers and milky sap; Chaenactis all tubular, clear sap; vs Eriogonum: Eriogonum flowers have 6 segments in ball-like clusters; Chaenactis typical composite heads; vs Uropappus: Uropappus has all strap-shaped yellow flowers; Chaenactis all tubular white/purple flowers
Frequently asked questions
Is Chaenactis douglasii native to California?
Yes. Chaenactis douglasii is native to California (recorded as native).
What plant family does Chaenactis douglasii belong to?
Chaenactis douglasii is in the Asteraceae family, genus Chaenactis.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Chaenactis douglasii var. alpina — Alpine dusty-maidens
- Chaenactis douglasii var. douglasii — Dusty-maidens; false yarrow
- Chaenactis fremontii — Fremont pincushion
- Chaenactis glabriuscula — Yellow pincushion
- Chaenactis glabriuscula var. glabriuscula — Common yellow chaenactis
- Chaenactis glabriuscula var. heterocarpha — Inner coast range pincushion
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · 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.