Heterotheca sessiliflora subsp. fastigiata

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Heterotheca sessiliflora subspecies fastigiata is a California native perennial found in southern coastal, Transverse, Peninsular Ranges, and western desert regions in oak woodland, pine forest, and desert washes at elevations of 100 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces yellow flowers in heads with 20 to 40 disk flowers. Growing with densely hairy stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it has a distinctive appearance with stiff, wavy-margined leaves that become smaller toward the stem tips. Its leaves are notably white-appearing with hairs approximately 1 millimeter long, giving the plant a soft, textured appearance. When found in desert washes, this plant represents a rare and resilient botanical species adapted to challenging environmental conditions.

Habitat: Oak woodland, pine forest, desert washes (rare)

Bloom period: Jul-Oct

Elevation: 100-2200 m

Bioregions: SCo, TR, PR, w D.

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