Helianthus ciliaris

Blueweed, Blueweed

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Blueweed is a naturalized perennial herb found in California's Central Valley, Central Coast, Southern Coast, and western Mojave Desert regions in roadsides, streambanks, and low drainage areas, often in saline soils at elevations below 650 meters. Flowering from June to November, this plant produces yellow ray flowers with red disk lobes in heads 12 to 25 millimeters wide. Growing 40 to 70 centimeters tall with horizontal rhizome-like roots, it often forms dense colonies with glaucous, blue-green stems. Its opposite leaves are sessile, 3 to 7.5 centimeters long, oblong or lanceolate with wedge-shaped bases and entire to shallowly lobed margins that are sometimes crinkled. The plant produces fruits 3 to 3.5 millimeters long with pappus scales 1.2 to 1.5 millimeters in length.

Habitat: Roadsides, streambanks, low drainage areas, often in saline soils

Bloom period: Jun-Nov

Elevation: < 650 m

Bioregions: GV, CCo, SCo, w DMoj

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.