Crocanthemum scoparium var. scoparium

Family: Cistaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Sunshine-weed is a California native perennial found in coastal bioregions including northern Coast Ranges, central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, southern California Coast, and northern Channel Islands in dry sandy or rocky slopes of coastal sage scrub and chaparral at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces bright yellow flowers in small clusters on each stem. Growing with slender stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall that spread near the base and rise upward or ascend from the ground, it forms delicate, open clusters. Its narrow leaves are arranged along the stems, contributing to the plant's lightweight, airy appearance. The small, bright yellow blossoms emerge in clusters of one to ten, creating subtle bursts of color across coastal hillsides.

Habitat: dry sandy or rocky slopes, ridges in coastal sage scrub, chaparral

Bloom period: Mar-Jul

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: NCo, NCoRO, CCo, SnFrB, SCo (rare), n ChI (Santa Cruz Island)

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