Grindelia stricta
Coastal gumweed
(c) Don Loarie, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Grindelia stricta (Coastal gumweed) is a native California subshrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by Coastal only (dunes, bluffs, salt marsh); +- fleshy leaves; sprawling to erect resinous heads.
Coastal gumweed is a California native perennial found in coastal bioregions in open grasslands and coastal scrub habitats. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces bright yellow flowers in large hemispheric heads 10 to 45 millimeters wide with distinctive resinous phyllaries. Growing with branched stems up to 60 centimeters tall, it forms a bushy, spreading perennial herb with a complex growth pattern. Its leaves are fleshy and oblong to lanceolate, ranging 1 to 15 centimeters long, with serrated edges and green to red-veined surfaces. The fruit is 3.5 to 7 millimeters long with a knobby top and white to reddish-brown coloration.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Coastal only (dunes, bluffs, salt marsh); +- fleshy leaves; sprawling to erect resinous heads
How to tell it apart
vs Heterotheca: Grindelia has sticky gummy bracts; Heterotheca has dry, non-sticky bracts and spreading hairs on stems.; vs Agoseris: Grindelia has ray and disc flowers; Agoseris has only strap-shaped ligulate flowers (dandelion-like).; vs Erigeron: Grindelia has gummy sticky bracts; Erigeron has dry bracts and typically 50+ very narrow rays.; vs Solidago: Grindelia has large sticky-bracted heads; Solidago has tiny non-sticky heads in dense branched clusters.; vs Deinandra: Grindelia bracts curl backward and are gummy; Deinandra has spine-tipped bracts and is a tarweed.
Frequently asked questions
Is Grindelia stricta native to California?
Yes. Grindelia stricta is native to California (recorded as native).
What plant family does Grindelia stricta belong to?
Grindelia stricta is in the Asteraceae family, genus Grindelia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Grindelia stricta var. angustifolia — Marsh gumplant
- Grindelia stricta var. platyphylla — Gumplant
- Grindelia stricta var. stricta — Coastal gum plant
- Grindelia camporum — Common gumplant
- Grindelia fraxinipratensis — Ash meadows gumplant
- Grindelia hallii — San diego gumplant
- Gutierrezia californica — California matchweed
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.