Chaenactis glabriuscula var. lanosa
Sand buttons, Sand Buttons
Photo: parent species Chaenactis glabriuscula · Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Chaenactis glabriuscula var. lanosa (Sand buttons) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by NONE - geographically isolated; key features are coastal habitat and scapose heads.
Sand buttons is a California native annual found in central western California (excluding San Francisco Bay) and the northwestern edge of the Sonoran Desert in open loose sand and coastal dunes at elevations of 10 to 700 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces white flowers in scaped heads 5 to 6.5 millimeters long. Growing 8 to 15 centimeters tall with erect to decumbent stems, it has 1 to 12 stems with white tomentose to woolly proximal hairs. Its leaves are predominantly basal, with cylindric or slightly flat blades 2 to 10 centimeters long, featuring 1 to 2 pairs of lobes with flat or cylindric tips. The fruit is 4 to 6 millimeters long with a pappus of four scales.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: NONE - geographically isolated; key features are coastal habitat and scapose heads
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open loose sand, gravel, often coastal dunes
Elevation: 10-700(2100) m
Bloom period
Chaenactis glabriuscula var. lanosa blooms Mar-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. lanosa native to California?
Yes. Chaenactis glabriuscula var. lanosa is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Chaenactis glabriuscula var. lanosa bloom?
Chaenactis glabriuscula var. lanosa blooms Mar-Jul.
What plant family does Chaenactis glabriuscula var. lanosa belong to?
Chaenactis glabriuscula var. lanosa is in the Asteraceae family, genus Chaenactis.
What habitat does Chaenactis glabriuscula var. lanosa grow in?
Chaenactis glabriuscula var. lanosa grows in Open loose sand, gravel, often coastal dunes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Chaenactis glabriuscula var. megacephala — Big headed yellow chaenactis
- Chaenactis glabriuscula var. orcuttiana — Orcutt's pincushion
- Chaenactis macrantha — Mojave pincushion
- Chaenactis nevadensis — Sierra pincushion
- Chaenactis parishii — Parish's chaenactis
- Chaenactis santolinoides — Santolina 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.