Chaenactis glabriuscula var. glabriuscula
Common yellow chaenactis
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Chaenactis glabriuscula var. glabriuscula (Common yellow chaenactis) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by bright yellow flowers with multiple heads.
Common yellow chaenactis is a California native annual found in the North Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, Central Western California, and southwestern deserts in open sandy slopes, chaparral, and woodland openings at elevations of 100 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from February to July, this plant produces yellow flowers in heads 2 to 20 per stem, arranged with peduncles 1 to 4 centimeters long. Growing 10 to 60 centimeters tall with generally 1 to 5 erect to ascending stems that branch both proximally and distally, it has a distinctive growth habit with grayish cobwebby hairs. Its leaves are 3 to 8 centimeters long, with 2 to 7 pairs of lobes that have flat, curled, twisted, or cylindric tips, creating a delicate and intricate foliage pattern. The fruit is 3 to 5.5 millimeters long, with inner pappus scales up to 4 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 17 sympatric species; key feature is bright yellow flowers with multiple heads
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open sandy slopes, openings in chaparral, woodland
Elevation: 100-2300 m
Outside California: to northern Baja California
Bloom period
Chaenactis glabriuscula var. glabriuscula blooms Feb-Jul.
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 glabriuscula var. glabriuscula native to California?
Yes. Chaenactis glabriuscula var. glabriuscula is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Chaenactis glabriuscula var. glabriuscula bloom?
Chaenactis glabriuscula var. glabriuscula blooms Feb-Jul.
What plant family does Chaenactis glabriuscula var. glabriuscula belong to?
Chaenactis glabriuscula var. glabriuscula is in the Asteraceae family, genus Chaenactis.
What habitat does Chaenactis glabriuscula var. glabriuscula grow in?
Chaenactis glabriuscula var. glabriuscula grows in Open sandy slopes, openings in chaparral, woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Chaenactis glabriuscula var. heterocarpha — Inner coast range pincushion
- Chaenactis glabriuscula var. lanosa — Sand buttons
- Chaenactis glabriuscula var. megacephala — Big headed yellow chaenactis
- Chaenactis glabriuscula var. orcuttiana — Orcutt's pincushion
- Chaenactis macrantha — Mojave pincushion
- Chaenactis nevadensis — Sierra 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.