Hesperevax sparsiflora
Erect evax
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Hesperevax sparsiflora (Erect evax) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family.
Erect evax is a California native annual found in coastal and interior regions in open grasslands and dry meadows. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small white to cream-colored flower heads less than 5 millimeters wide, clustered in loose groups. Growing with ascending to erect stems up to 17 centimeters tall, it develops slender branching stems that spread in delicate patterns. Its leaves are roughly equal in length, ranging from 6 to 32 millimeters long with bases that become slightly thickened, creating a subtle structural complexity. The tiny flower heads are arranged in compact cylindrical clusters, with each head containing multiple disk flowers barely reaching 1 millimeter in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated from all congeners
Habitat and range
California counties: Contra Costa, Sonoma, Marin, Solano, Colusa, San Benito, Mendocino, San Luis Obispo, Shasta, Humboldt, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Ventura, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo
How to tell it apart
vs Ancistrocarphus: Hesperevax has erect, flat, blunt-tipped bracts; Ancistrocarphus has inward-hooked spine-like tips.; vs Filago: Hesperevax has heads nestled in leaf clusters; Filago has cone-shaped heads on visible stems.; vs Logfia: Hesperevax has flat-tipped erect bracts; Logfia has mushroom-shaped heads with spreading outer bracts.; vs Stylocline: Hesperevax has enlarged flat-tipped bracts; Stylocline has tiny heads hidden in dense woolly mats.; vs Micropus: Hesperevax lacks prominent petal-like bracts; Micropus has 4-6 conspicuous spoon-shaped outer bracts.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hesperevax sparsiflora native to California?
Yes. Hesperevax sparsiflora is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Hesperevax sparsiflora grow?
Hesperevax sparsiflora occurs in Contra Costa, Sonoma, Marin, Solano, Colusa, San Benito, Mendocino, San Luis Obispo and other counties.
What plant family does Hesperevax sparsiflora belong to?
Hesperevax sparsiflora is in the Asteraceae family, genus Hesperevax.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Hesperevax sparsiflora var. brevifolia — Shortleaved evax
- Hesperevax sparsiflora var. sparsiflora — Erect dwarf cudweed
- Hesperevax acaulis — Dwarf evax
- Hesperevax acaulis var. acaulis — Stemless evax
- Hesperevax acaulis var. ambusticola — Fire evax
- Hesperevax acaulis var. robustior — Big evax
- Heteranthemis sp.
- Heteranthemis viscidihirta — Sand chrysanthemum
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.