Hazardia whitneyi var. whitneyi
Whitney's bristleweed
Photo: parent species Hazardia whitneyi · (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Hazardia whitneyi var. whitneyi (Whitney's bristleweed) is a native California subshrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by 1 sympatric variety; distinguished by presence of ray flowers.
Whitney's bristleweed is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada in open montane conifer forest at elevations of 1,200 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces ray flowers ranging from 5 to 18 in number. Growing with slender stems characteristic of bristleweeds, it forms compact clusters in mountain woodland settings. Its leaves are typical of the Hazardia genus, likely narrow and somewhat bristle-like to match its common name. The fruit of this plant is generally 5 to 8 millimeters long, with a distinctive chromosomal makeup of 2n=8.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric variety; distinguished by presence of ray flowers
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open montane conifer forest
Elevation: 1200-3500 m
Bloom period
Hazardia whitneyi var. whitneyi blooms Jul-Sep.
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 var. whitneyi native to California?
Yes. Hazardia whitneyi var. whitneyi is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Hazardia whitneyi var. whitneyi bloom?
Hazardia whitneyi var. whitneyi blooms Jul-Sep.
What plant family does Hazardia whitneyi var. whitneyi belong to?
Hazardia whitneyi var. whitneyi is in the Asteraceae family, genus Hazardia.
What habitat does Hazardia whitneyi var. whitneyi grow in?
Hazardia whitneyi var. whitneyi grows in Open montane conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Hazardia brickellioides — Brickell goldenbush
- Hazardia cana — San clemente island hazardia
- Hazardia detonsa — Island hazardia
- Hazardia orcuttii — Orcutt's hazardia
- Hazardia sp. — Goldenbush
- Hazardia squarrosa — Saw-toothed goldenbush
- Hecastocleis shockleyi — Shockley's prickleleaf
- Hecastocleis sp.
- Hedypnois rhagadioloides — Crete weed
- Hedypnois 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.