Deinandra minthornii

Santa susana tarplant, Santa Susana Tarplant

Family: Asteraceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Santa susana tarplant is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native shrub found in southern Transverse Ranges, specifically the Santa Monica and Santa Susana Mountains, in chaparral and coastal scrub habitats at elevations of 200 to 800 meters. Flowering from June to November, this plant produces deep yellow flowers with ray petals 5.5 to 6.5 millimeters long, arranged in loose raceme or panicle-like clusters. Growing as a subshrub or shrub 15 to 100 centimeters tall with moderately hairy stems, it has a distinctive branching structure. Its lower leaves are pinnately lobed or toothed, covered in short coarse hairs and occasionally bearing stalked glands, creating a textured appearance. The plant's flower heads feature distinctive bracts that partially overlap the involucre and are covered in stalked glandular hairs, giving it a unique botanical character.

Habitat: Chaparral, coastal scrub, often on sandstone

Bloom period: Jun-Nov

Elevation: 200-800 m

Bioregions: s WTR (Santa Monica, Santa Susana mtns).

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