Erigeron linearis

Desert yellow fleabane

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Desert yellow fleabane is a California native perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada Mountains and Modoc Plateau in grasslands, sagebrush scrub, and open rocky slopes at elevations of 1,300 to 3,100 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces bright yellow ray flowers in solitary heads up to 13 millimeters wide, with delicate rays that curl slightly when dry. Growing with compact, cespitose stems 5 to 20 centimeters tall from a thick-branched caudex, it has unbranched stems with sparse white appressed hairs. Its basal leaves are distinctively linear, 2 to 9 centimeters long, with shiny white leaf bases that wrap around the stem's base. The fruit is characterized by 10 to 20 delicate pappus bristles that aid in wind dispersal.

Habitat: Grassland, sagebrush scrub, open, rocky slopes

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 1300-3100 m

Bioregions: n SNH, MP

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