Deinandra mohavensis

Mojave tarplant

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Mojave tarplant is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native annual found in southern Sierra Nevada, Peninsular Ranges, and western Mojave Desert in moist openings of chaparral, desert scrub, and woodland at elevations of 460 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from May to January, this plant produces deep yellow ray flowers 4 to 7 millimeters long with bright yellow disk centers. Growing 10 to 50 centimeters tall with slender, stalked-glandular stems that form tight or open clusters of flower heads. Its lower leaves are entire or sometimes slightly serrate, covered in glandular hairs that give the plant a distinctive sticky texture. The flower heads feature 5 ray flowers and 6 disk flowers with yellow to brownish anthers, creating delicate clustered blooms across desert and chaparral landscapes.

Habitat: Moist sites, openings in chaparral, desert scrub, woodland

Bloom period: May-Jan

Elevation: 460-1600 m

Bioregions: s SNH, n SnBr (extirpated), PR, w edge DMoj.

California counties: Kern, Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino, Tulare

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