Gamochaeta ustulata
Featherweed
(c) Simone Littledale, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Gamochaeta ustulata (Featherweed) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by native status, larger heads, yellow flowers, and perennial habit.
Featherweed is a California native perennial herb found in northwestern California, central Sierra Nevada foothills, San Joaquin Valley, central western California, southern Coast Ranges, southern California Coast, Channel Islands, and Peninsular Ranges in dunes, bluffs, fields, and disturbed sites at elevations below 650 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces yellow to purple-tipped flowers in dense cylindric head clusters 12 to 18 millimeters wide. Growing with erect to ascending white, densely felty-tomentose stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall, it often develops decumbent, stolon-like growth. Its leaves are distinctive, with spoon-shaped to oblanceolate blades 2 to 5 centimeters long, featuring contrasting surfaces - sparsely cobwebby above and white, felty-tomentose beneath. The fruit is tiny, measuring 0.7 to 0.8 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 5 sympatric species; key features are native status, larger heads, yellow flowers, and perennial habit
Habitat and range
Habitat: Dunes, bluffs, fields, disturbed sites
Elevation: < 650(1050) m
Outside California: to British Columbia
Bloom period
Gamochaeta ustulata blooms Apr-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Pseudognaphalium: Gamochaeta has tight spike-like flower clusters; Pseudognaphalium has open, branched clusters spreading at the stem tips.; vs Gnaphalium: Gamochaeta forms erect spikes of densely clustered heads; Gnaphalium has prostrate stems with looser, sessile flower clusters.; vs Logfia: Gamochaeta has visible flower heads in narrow spikes; Logfia has heads completely hidden within dense woolly leaf clusters.; vs Stachys: Gamochaeta has spike-like clusters of papery flower heads; Stachys has whorls of tubular lipped mint flowers on square stems.; vs Corethrogyne: Gamochaeta has tiny woolly heads in tight spikes without ray petals; Corethrogyne has obvious white or purple ray petals around each head.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gamochaeta ustulata native to California?
Yes. Gamochaeta ustulata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Gamochaeta ustulata bloom?
Gamochaeta ustulata blooms Apr-Jul.
What plant family does Gamochaeta ustulata belong to?
Gamochaeta ustulata is in the Asteraceae family, genus Gamochaeta.
What habitat does Gamochaeta ustulata grow in?
Gamochaeta ustulata grows in Dunes, bluffs, fields, disturbed sites.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Gamochaeta argyrinea
- Gamochaeta calviceps — Narrowleaf purple everlasting
- Gamochaeta coarctata — Gray everlasting
- Gamochaeta pensylvanica — Pennsylvania everlasting
- Gamochaeta sp. — Cudweed
- Gamochaeta stachydifolia
- Gazania linearis — Gazania
- Gazania sp. — Treasure flower
- Geraea canescens — Desert-sunflower
- Geraea sp.
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.