Cotula australis

Australian cotula, Australian Cotula

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Australian cotula is a naturalized perennial found in coastal and interior regions of California including North Coast, Sierra Nevada Foothills, Central Western, and Southwestern areas in disturbed habitats at elevations below 1,650 meters. Flowering from January to May, this plant produces dull white to pale yellow flowers in small compact heads. Growing with multiple branched stems 2 to 20 centimeters tall, it spreads from its base with extensive branching throughout the plant. Its leaves are obovate to spoon-shaped, measuring 1 to 6 centimeters long, and can be either petioled or sessile. The tiny fruit is distinctive, with outer segments 1 to 1.2 millimeters long and slightly winged.

Habitat: Common. Disturbed areas

Bloom period: Jan-May

Elevation: < 1650 m

Bioregions: NCo, NCoR, SNF, CW, SW

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