Hulsea heterochroma

Red rayed hulsea

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Red rayed hulsea is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada, San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, northern Peninsular Ranges, and northern Desert Mountains in open sites and recent burn areas at elevations of 300 to 2,700 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces distinctive red ray flowers less than 2 millimeters wide in heads 11 to 18 millimeters across. Growing up to 1.5 meters tall with stems that are densely glandular-hairy, it has a robust and somewhat sprawling form. Its basal leaves are 10 to 20 centimeters long, coarsely toothed, and green, becoming gradually smaller toward the stem tips. The fruit is densely hairy and 6 to 8 millimeters long with unequal pappus scales.

Habitat: Open sites, recent burns

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 300-2700 m

Bioregions: SN, SnFrB, SCoR, TR, n PR (incl SnJt), n DMtns (Panamint, Argus ranges)

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