Hesperevax sparsiflora var. sparsiflora

Erect dwarf cudweed

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Erect dwarf cudweed is a California native annual found in southern North Coast Ranges, central Sierra Nevada Foothills, Delta area of the Great Valley, Central Western California, Channel Islands, and western Peninsular Ranges at elevations of 10 to 1,000 meters in open, clay and serpentine soils. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces small white flowers in compact heads rarely exceeding 4.5 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems 8 to 17 centimeters tall, ranging from green to grayish in color and appearing delicate. Its leaves are distinctively oblanceolate to obovate, silky and cobwebby in texture, with the largest leaves measuring 13 to 32 millimeters long and 4 to 8 millimeters wide. The plant is commonly found in disturbed or serpentine landscapes, thriving in challenging soil conditions.

Habitat: Common. Open, clay and/or rocky, generally serpentine soil

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: 10-1000 m

Bioregions: s NCoR, c SNF, deltaic GV, CW, ChI, w PR (exc SnJt).

California counties: Los Angeles, Marin, San Benito, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Solano, Colusa, Sonoma, Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Merced, Yolo, Santa Cruz, Lake, Ventura, San Diego

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