Deinandra pentactis

Salinas river tarweed

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Salinas river tarweed is a California native annual herb found on the western edge of the San Joaquin Valley, southwestern San Francisco Bay, and central South Coast Ranges in grasslands, open woodlands, and disturbed areas at elevations of 200 to 900 meters. Flowering from April to October, this plant produces deep yellow ray flowers 3 to 5 millimeters long with reddish-purple disk anthers in open, panicle-like clusters. Growing 40 to 75 centimeters tall with erect, glandular and hairy stems that branch widely, it develops a distinctive appearance in open habitats. Its lower leaves are pinnately lobed or toothed, covered in sharp and coarse hairs, with occasional glandular surfaces that contribute to its rough texture. The plant has an intriguing reproductive strategy, with disk flowers that are mostly staminate and featuring 5 to 8 fringed pappus scales.

Habitat: Grassland, open woodland, disturbed areas

Bloom period: Apr-Oct

Elevation: (0)200-900 m

Bioregions: w edge SnJV, sw SnFrB (alien), c SCoR.

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