Chaenactis fremontii

Fremont pincushion

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Fremont pincushion is a California native annual found in southern Sierra Nevada foothills, Tehachapi, southern San Joaquin Valley, south Coast Ranges, northern and eastern edges of southwestern California, southern Sierra Nevada eastern edges, and desert regions in loose sandy or gravelly habitats at elevations of -10 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from February to May, this plant produces white to pale pink flowers in radiant heads with outer flowers spreading wider than inner flowers. Growing with slender branching stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, often emerging through shrubs, with early grayish cobwebby hairs that diminish by flowering time. Its leaves are primarily basal and cauline, with linear to slightly elliptic blades up to 7 centimeters long, often with 1 to 2 pairs of cylindric lobes. The fruit is 6 to 8 millimeters long with a distinctive pappus of 4 scales whose tips are visible among the flower buds.

Habitat: Loose sand or gravel, often growing through shrubs

Bloom period: Feb-May

Elevation: -10-1600(2200) m

Bioregions: s SNF, Teh, s SnJV, SCoRI, n&ampe edges SW (exc ChI), s SNE (exc W&ampI), D

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