Descurainia pinnata subsp. ochroleuca

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: annual · Native

Desert tansy mustard is a California native annual found in southeastern California in gravelly hills, desert grasslands, and roadsides at elevations of 200 to 2,400 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small purple or pink flowers less than 2 millimeters long in delicate clusters. Growing with densely hairy stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms spreading branches at shallow angles. Its finely divided leaves are densely whitish-gray (canescent), with intricate pinnate segments that give the plant a feathery appearance. The plant's sparse, small flowers and soft, gray foliage help it blend seamlessly into arid desert landscapes.

Habitat: Gravelly hills, desert grassland, roadsides

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 200-2400 m

Bioregions: se CA

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