Hazardia orcuttii
Orcutt's hazardia
(c) Madeleine Claire, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1
Hazardia orcuttii (Orcutt's hazardia) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by only one with prominent ray flowers exceeding disk.
Orcutt's hazardia is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native shrub found in southern San Diego County in chaparral and coastal scrub habitats at elevations below 200 meters. Flowering from August to September, this plant produces yellow ray flowers 2 to 3 millimeters long surrounding yellow disk flowers in heads 4 to 6 millimeters wide. Growing 50 to 100 centimeters tall with a glabrous form, it has an upright, compact structure with distinctly shaped branches. Its leaves are 2 to 5 centimeters long, oblong to narrowly obovate, with abruptly pointed tips and nearly entire margins. The fruit is 3 to 4.5 millimeters long with faint ribs and a brownish pappus.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 2 sympatric species; only one with prominent ray flowers exceeding disk
Habitat and range
Habitat: Chaparral, coastal scrub
Elevation: < 200 m
Outside California: northwestern Baja California
Bloom period
Hazardia orcuttii blooms Aug-Sep.
Conservation status
CNPS 1B.1
How to tell it apart
vs Isocoma: Hazardia has toothed leaf margins; Isocoma has entirely smooth-edged leaves.; vs Baccharis: Hazardia has yellow to purple disk flowers; Baccharis has separate male/female plants with whitish flowers.; vs Eriogonum: Hazardia is an Asteraceae shrub with daisy flowers; Eriogonum (Polygonaceae) has ball-like flower clusters.; vs Quercus: Hazardia has daisy flowers and herbaceous leaves; Quercus has acorns and woody oak leaves.; vs Ericameria: Hazardia has toothed leaves and 5-18 female flowers; Ericameria has entire leaves and 0-7 female flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hazardia orcuttii native to California?
Yes. Hazardia orcuttii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Hazardia orcuttii bloom?
Hazardia orcuttii blooms Aug-Sep.
What plant family does Hazardia orcuttii belong to?
Hazardia orcuttii is in the Asteraceae family, genus Hazardia.
Is Hazardia orcuttii rare or endangered?
Hazardia orcuttii carries California Rare Plant Rank 1B.1, state rank S1.
What habitat does Hazardia orcuttii grow in?
Hazardia orcuttii grows in Chaparral, coastal scrub.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.