Eriogonum umbellatum var. subaridum

Ferris' sulphur flower, Ferris' Sulphur Flower

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Ferris' sulphur flower is a native shrub found in the southeastern Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi Range, Sierra Nevada eastern edge, and Desert Mountains on sandy or gravelly sites at elevations of 1,200 to 3,100 meters. Flowering from June to October, this plant produces distinctive yellow flowers in umbellate clusters ranging from 3 to 7 millimeters long. Growing as a compact subshrub 2 to 7 decimeters tall with a wide spread of 3 to 9 decimeters, it has branches that may be hairy or smooth. Its leaves are small, generally 1 to 3 centimeters long and 0.5 to 2 centimeters wide, with a sparse tomentose covering particularly on the undersides. The plant forms intricate branching clusters with involucre tubes 2 to 3 millimeters long and small teeth 1 to 3 millimeters in length.

Habitat: Common. Sand or gravel

Bloom period: Jun-Oct

Elevation: 1200-3100 m

Bioregions: se SN, TR, SNE, DMtns

California counties: Inyo, Kern, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Tulare, Ventura, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Sierra

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