Heterotheca subaxillaris subsp. latifolia

Camphor-weed, Camphor-Weed

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Camphor-weed is a California native annual found in the southern California coast, eastern San Diego, and Tehachapi bioregions in disturbed sandy soils and roadsides at elevations below 1,150 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces yellow flowers in flat-topped or panicle-like clusters with ray flowers 4 to 10 millimeters long. Growing 30 to 150 centimeters tall with ascending to erect stems that become much-branched in large plants, it has a bristly and glandular appearance, especially toward the top of the plant. Its leaves vary from basal rosettes with wing-petioled bases to mid-stem leaves that are ovate and clasping, with some leaves having tooth-like edges while others remain entire. The fruits are small, with ray fruits nearly smooth and disk fruits densely hairy, bearing inner pappus 6 to 9 millimeters long.

Habitat: Uncommon. Disturbed sandy soils, roadsides

Bloom period: Aug-Oct

Elevation: < 1150 m

Bioregions: Teh, SCo, e DSon

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