Encelia farinosa
Brittlebush
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Encelia farinosa (Brittlebush) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by clustered leaves, multiple heads in panicles, and fragrant sap.
Brittlebush is a California native shrub found in eastern Southern California, adjacent Peninsular Ranges, and desert regions in coastal scrub and stony desert hillsides at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from January to June and August to September, this plant produces yellow ray flowers and yellow or brown-purple disk flowers in radiate heads 3 to 9 millimeters long. Growing with much-branched stems 30 to 150 centimeters tall from one or several trunks, it has a distinctively fragrant sap and smooth bark on older stems. Its leaves, clustered near stem tips, are silver- or gray-tomentose, ovate to lanceolate, 2 to 7 centimeters long with petioles 10 to 20 millimeters in length. The plant produces small fruits 3 to 6 millimeters long without a pappus.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species; key features are clustered leaves, multiple heads in panicles, and fragrant sap
Habitat and range
Habitat: Coastal scrub, stony desert hillsides
Elevation: < 1500 m.
Outside California: to southwestern Utah, northwestern Mexico.
Bloom period
Encelia farinosa blooms Jan-Jun, Aug--Sep.
How to tell it apart
vs Helianthus: Woody shrub with permanent stems vs. soft-stemmed annual/perennial herb.; vs Salvia: Yellow daisy flowers in Asteraceae vs. tubular flowers with two lips in mint family.; vs Bahiopsis: Generally coastal/desert scrub habitat vs. more restricted range in Bahiopsis.; vs Verbesina: Woody shrub form vs. herbaceous in Verbesina.; vs Geraea: Woody perennial shrub vs. annual herb in desert dandelion (Geraea).
Frequently asked questions
Is Encelia farinosa native to California?
Yes. Encelia farinosa is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Encelia farinosa bloom?
Encelia farinosa blooms Jan-Jun, Aug--Sep.
What plant family does Encelia farinosa belong to?
Encelia farinosa is in the Asteraceae family, genus Encelia.
What habitat does Encelia farinosa grow in?
Encelia farinosa grows in Coastal scrub, stony desert hillsides.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.