Chaenactis glabriuscula

Yellow pincushion, Yellow Pincushion

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Yellow pincushion is a California native annual found in desert and foothill regions in sandy or gravelly habitats at low elevations. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces bright to dark yellow flowers in radiant heads with 1 to 20 flower clusters, each head approximately 1 centimeter wide. Growing with slender stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, the plant has branches that are often sparse or minimal. Its leaves are primarily basal, with blades generally elliptic and 1 to 2 times pinnately lobed, ranging from 1 to 10 centimeters long. The fruit is 3 to 9 millimeters long, with a distinctive pappus of 4 to 8 scales in one or two series.

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