Ericameria greenei
Greene's goldenbush
no rights reserved, uploaded by Drew Meyer · CC0
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Ericameria greenei (Greene's goldenbush) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by low stature and glandular/sticky texture.
Greene's goldenbush is a California native shrub found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, northern California Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada, and Warner Mountains in rocky areas within open conifer forest at elevations of 1,500 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from July to September, this shrub produces yellow flowers in radiate heads 8 to 12 millimeters wide, arranged in congested clusters. Growing with stems 1 to 3 decimeters tall, these plants feature stems that are glabrous to slightly sticky-glandular and distally puberulent or white-tomentose. Its leaves are 15 to 30 millimeters long, approximately oblanceolate and obtuse, varying from glabrous to tomentose with potential stalked glands. The fruit is 5 to 7 millimeters long, narrowly oblong, and covered with appressed soft hairs and a white to light brown pappus.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 16 sympatric species; low stature and glandular/sticky texture
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky areas in open conifer forest
Elevation: 1500-2200 m
Outside California: to Washington, Idaho
Bloom period
Ericameria greenei blooms Jul-Sep.
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 greenei native to California?
Yes. Ericameria greenei is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Ericameria greenei bloom?
Ericameria greenei blooms Jul-Sep.
What plant family does Ericameria greenei belong to?
Ericameria greenei is in the Asteraceae family, genus Ericameria.
What habitat does Ericameria greenei grow in?
Ericameria greenei grows in Rocky areas in open conifer forest.
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.