Hazardia squarrosa
Saw-toothed goldenbush
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Hazardia squarrosa (Saw-toothed goldenbush) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family.
Saw-toothed goldenbush is a California native shrub found in coastal regions in chaparral and coastal sage scrub habitats. Flowering from August to November, this plant produces yellow disk flowers with red-tinged corollas in compact heads 7 to 10 millimeters wide. Growing 3 to 7 feet tall with glabrous to sparsely hairy stems, it forms a sturdy, well-branched shrub with a distinctive appearance. Its leathery leaves are oblong to obovate, 1.5 to 5 centimeters long, with distinctive toothed margins that give the plant its common name. The fruit is 5 to 8 millimeters long with prominent angles, topped by a white to red-brown pappus 7 to 12 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated; parent taxon with unclear range data
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 squarrosa native to California?
Yes. Hazardia squarrosa is native to California (recorded as native).
What plant family does Hazardia squarrosa belong to?
Hazardia squarrosa is in the Asteraceae family, genus Hazardia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Hazardia squarrosa var. grindelioides — Gum plant goldenbush
- Hazardia squarrosa var. obtusa — Saw toothed goldenbush
- Hazardia squarrosa var. squarrosa — Saw toothed goldenbush
- Hazardia stenolepis — Narrow scaled goldenbush
- Hazardia whitneyi — Whitney's goldenbush
- Hazardia whitneyi var. discoidea — Rayless whitney's goldenbush
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.