Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi
Cooper's goldenbush
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi (Cooper's goldenbush) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by small leaves and variable flower types.
Cooper's goldenbush is a California native shrub found in western Transverse Ranges, southern Great Basin, eastern Sierra Nevada, and Mojave Desert regions in rocky slopes and valleys within creosote-bush scrub and Joshua-tree woodland at elevations of 300 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces yellow flowers in rounded clusters with 0 to 3 ray flowers and 4 to 12 disk flowers. Growing 30 to 100 centimeters tall with puberulent stems that are gland-dotted and resinous, it has a distinctive branching structure. Its leaves are narrow and linear, 3 to 15 millimeters long, with acute tips and covered in gland-dotted pits. The fruit is a softly silky-hairy, obconic structure 3 to 3.5 millimeters long with 10 to 12 thin veins.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 29 sympatric species; small leaves and variable flower types
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky slopes, valleys, in creosote-bush scrub, Joshua-tree woodland
Elevation: 300-2000 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo, Los Angeles, Kern, Ventura, Riverside, Mono, San Luis Obispo
Outside California: southern Nevada
Bloom period
Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi blooms Mar-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Isocoma: Ericameria has bracts in 5 vertical rows; Isocoma has randomly arranged bracts.; vs Chrysothamnus: Ericameria has woolly young stems and deep pitted glands; Chrysothamnus has smooth/slightly fuzzy stems and surface glands or none.; vs Baccharis: Ericameria has yellow bisexual flowers in each head; Baccharis has separate male/female plants with whitish flowers.; vs Artemisia: Ericameria has yellow flowers and gland-dotted leaves; Artemisia has greenish flowers and aromatic gray-hairy leaves.; vs Lepidospartum: Ericameria has small narrow leaves; Lepidospartum has scale-like leaves on green rush-like stems.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi native to California?
Yes. Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi bloom?
Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi blooms Mar-Jun.
Where in California does Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi grow?
Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi occurs in San Bernardino, Inyo, Los Angeles, Kern, Ventura, Riverside, Mono, San Luis Obispo, at elevations of 300-2000 m.
What plant family does Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi belong to?
Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi is in the Asteraceae family, genus Ericameria.
What habitat does Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi grow in?
Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi grows in Rocky slopes, valleys, in creosote-bush scrub, Joshua-tree woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-06
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.