Hazardia whitneyi
Whitney's goldenbush, Whitney's Goldenbush
(c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Hazardia whitneyi (Whitney's goldenbush) is a native California subshrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by Only Hazardia that is a low herb/subshrub (2-5 dm); NW & Sierra Nevada, not the coast/islands.
Whitney's goldenbush is a California native perennial subshrub found in rocky areas at elevations of 200 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces yellow flowers in radiate heads 8 to 12 millimeters wide with ray flowers 5 to 8 millimeters long. Growing with erect stems 20 to 50 centimeters tall that are glabrous to slightly glandular-hairy, it forms a compact subshrub structure. Its leaves are widely oblong to oblanceolate, 25 to 50 millimeters long with acute tips and serrated edges. The fruit is 5 to 10 millimeters long with distinctive 5-angled surfaces.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Only Hazardia that is a low herb/subshrub (2-5 dm); NW & Sierra Nevada, not the coast/islands
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 whitneyi native to California?
Yes. Hazardia whitneyi is native to California (recorded as native).
What plant family does Hazardia whitneyi belong to?
Hazardia whitneyi is in the Asteraceae family, genus Hazardia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- 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
- Hazardia orcuttii — Orcutt's hazardia
- Hecastocleis shockleyi — Shockley's prickleleaf
- Hecastocleis sp.
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.