Ericameria ericoides

Mock heather, california goldenbush, California Goldenbush

Family: Asteraceae · Type: shrub · Native

Mock heather is a California native shrub found in southern North Coast, southern San Joaquin Valley (Cuyama Valley), central western California, and central southern coastal regions in dunes and inland sandy soils at elevations below 600 meters. Flowering from September to November, this plant produces yellow flowers in radiate heads arranged in panicle-like clusters. Growing up to 2 meters tall with lightly puberulent stems, it forms distinctive fan-shaped axillary leaf clusters. Its leaves are crowded, cylindric, 3 to 18 millimeters long, with a grooved upper surface and gland-dotted pits. The fruit is cylindric, up to 4 millimeters long, with 8 to 10 ribs and a white to tan pappus.

Habitat: Dunes, inland sandy soils

Bloom period: Sep-Nov

Elevation: < 600 m

Bioregions: s NCo, s SnJV (Cuyama Valley), CW (exc SCoRI), c SCo.

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