Hymenoxys odorata

Bitter hymenoxys, Bitter Hymenoxys

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1

Bitter hymenoxys is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) California native annual found in eastern Colorado Desert regions in roadsides, open flats, and streambanks at elevations of 60 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from February to August, this plant produces yellow ray flowers with disk flowers in clustered heads 15 to 35 millimeters wide. Growing with slender stems 10 to 80 centimeters tall that are often purple-red tinted and branched throughout, the plant has a delicate, spreading form. Its leaves are typically 1 to 5 centimeters long, divided into 3 to 19 narrow linear lobes, with middle blades having 5 to 11 lobes and terminal lobes less than 1 millimeter wide. The fruit is small, 1.7 to 2.5 millimeters long, with 5 to 6 pappus scales.

Habitat: Roadsides, open flats, drainage areas, streambanks and bottoms

Bloom period: Feb-Aug

Elevation: 60-1500 m

Bioregions: 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.