Gnaphalium palustre

Lowland cudweed

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Lowland cudweed is a California native annual found in sandy streambeds, arroyos, and pond edges at elevations below 3,590 meters. Flowering from May to October, this plant produces small white to pale yellow flowers in compact head-like clusters at the tips of decumbent stems. Growing with delicate branching stems 3 to 15 centimeters tall, it develops a distinctive low-spreading growth habit. Its leaves are spoon-shaped to oblanceolate, measuring 1 to 3.5 centimeters long and 3 to 8 millimeters wide, creating a soft green ground-hugging appearance. The plant's subtle inflorescences feature woolly-based bracts with brownish inner phyllaries that have opaque, blunt tips.

Habitat: Arroyos, sandy streambeds, pond edges, potholes

Bloom period: May-Oct

Elevation: < 3590 m

Bioregions: CA

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