Hazardia stenolepis
Narrow scaled goldenbush
(c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Hazardia stenolepis (Narrow scaled goldenbush) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by narrowest heads with fewest flowers.
Narrow scaled goldenbush is a California native shrub found in southern Coastal Ranges in serpentine or shale grasslands, open woodlands, and scrub at elevations of 150 to 1,200 meters. Flowering from September to November, this plant produces yellow disk flowers in compact heads approximately 3 to 6 millimeters wide. Growing 30 to 100 centimeters tall with scabrous stems, it develops a distinctive shrubby form. Its leaves are leathery and oblong to obovate, 15 to 25 millimeters long, with toothed edges and an abruptly pointed tip. The fruit is 5 to 8 millimeters long, five-angled, and topped with a red-brown pappus 7 to 12 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 3 sympatric species; narrowest heads with fewest flowers
Habitat and range
Habitat: Serpentine or shale, grassland, open woodland, scrub
Elevation: 150-1200 m
Bloom period
Hazardia stenolepis blooms Sep-Nov.
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 stenolepis native to California?
Yes. Hazardia stenolepis is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Hazardia stenolepis bloom?
Hazardia stenolepis blooms Sep-Nov.
What plant family does Hazardia stenolepis belong to?
Hazardia stenolepis is in the Asteraceae family, genus Hazardia.
What habitat does Hazardia stenolepis grow in?
Hazardia stenolepis grows in Serpentine or shale, grassland, open woodland, scrub.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Hazardia whitneyi — Whitney's goldenbush
- Hazardia whitneyi var. discoidea — Rayless whitney's goldenbush
- Hazardia whitneyi var. whitneyi — Whitney's bristleweed
- Hazardia brickellioides — Brickell goldenbush
- Hazardia cana — San clemente island hazardia
- Hazardia detonsa — Island hazardia
- Hecastocleis shockleyi — Shockley's prickleleaf
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.