Grindelia hirsutula

Gumweed

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 3.2

Gumweed is a California native perennial found in the North Coast Ranges, Central Valley, Central Western, Southern California Coast, and Transverse Ranges in sandy, clay, or serpentine slopes and roadsides at elevations up to 1,700 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces yellow flowers with ray flowers 8 to 20 millimeters long in involucre heads 7 to 25 millimeters wide. Growing with erect, few-branched stems 20 to 150 centimeters tall that are green and sometimes hairy, it forms a distinctive upright habit. Its leaves range from oblong to lanceolate, 1 to 10 centimeters long, with variable green coloration from yellow to red or gray-green, sometimes with entire or slightly serrated margins. The fruit is golden to red-brown, 2.5 to 5.5 millimeters long with a truncate or knobby top.

Habitat: Sandy, clay, or serpentine slopes or roadsides

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 1700 m

Bioregions: NCoR, GV, CW, SCo, TR.

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