Ericameria suffruticosa
Singlehead goldenbush, Singlehead Goldenbush
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Ericameria suffruticosa (Singlehead goldenbush) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by radiate heads and glandular leaves distinctive.
Singlehead goldenbush is a California native shrub found in the Sierra Nevada High, Sierra Nevada Eastern, and White and Inyo Mountains on rocky slopes and ridges in conifer forest at elevations of 2,100 to 3,800 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces yellow flowers in radiate heads 8.5 to 15 millimeters wide, arranged in small leafy clusters. Growing 10 to 40 centimeters tall with stems that become reddish-brown and are stalked-glandular when young, it forms a compact shrubby structure. Its leaves are distinctively oblanceolate, 5 to 40 millimeters long with wavy margins and glandular surfaces, giving the plant a textured appearance. The fruit is 5.5 to 8 millimeters long, narrowly obconic and hairy, with a white to pale yellow pappus.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 21 sympatric species; radiate heads and glandular leaves distinctive
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky slopes and ridges in conifer forest
Elevation: 2100-3800 m
Outside California: to Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona
Bloom period
Ericameria suffruticosa 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 suffruticosa native to California?
Yes. Ericameria suffruticosa is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Ericameria suffruticosa bloom?
Ericameria suffruticosa blooms Jul-Sep.
What plant family does Ericameria suffruticosa belong to?
Ericameria suffruticosa is in the Asteraceae family, genus Ericameria.
What habitat does Ericameria suffruticosa grow in?
Ericameria suffruticosa grows in Rocky slopes and ridges in conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Ericameria teretifolia — Green or round-leaf rabbitbrush
- Ericameria albida — White-flowered rabbitbrush
- Ericameria arborescens — Golden-fleece
- Ericameria bloomeri — Bloomer's goldenbush
- Ericameria brachylepis — Boundary goldenbush
- Ericameria cooperi var. cooperi — Cooper's goldenbush
- Erigeron aequifolius — Hall's daisy
- Erigeron algidus — Sierra fleabane
- Erigeron aliceae — Alice eastwood's fleabane
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.