Iva axillaris
Poverty weed
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Iva axillaris (Poverty weed) is a native California subshrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by distinguished primarily by leaf size and elevation range.
Poverty weed is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada, southern Sierra Nevada, southern Sierra Nevada foothills, Central Valley, Central Western California, southwestern California, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert in seasonally wet, saline habitats and roadsides at elevations below 2,500 meters. Flowering from April to October, this plant produces small white to greenish flowers in compact clusters. Growing with erect stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall emerging from a rhizome, it forms dense clumps in disturbed areas. Its leaves are elliptic to spoon-shaped, 15 to 25 millimeters long, with a slightly rough surface covered in fine hairs and dotted with glands. The fruit is small, approximately 2.5 to 3 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; distinguished primarily by leaf size and elevation range
Habitat and range
Habitat: Seasonally wet, saline habitats, roadsides
Elevation: < 2500 m
Outside California: to British Columbia, Montana, central United States, Texas
Bloom period
Iva axillaris blooms Apr-Oct.
How to tell it apart
vs Ambrosia: Iva has simple, usually entire leaves and weakly fused anthers; Ambrosia has deeply lobed leaves and completely free anthers.; vs Atriplex: Iva is in the sunflower family with tiny flower heads; Atriplex is in the goosefoot family with scaly-mealy leaves and wind-pollinated flowers.; vs Encelia: Iva has inconspicuous heads without rays in wet alkaline sites; Encelia has showy yellow daisy heads in dry upland habitats.; vs Isocoma: Iva has entire leaves and anthers free or weakly fused; Isocoma has toothed leaves and completely fused anthers.; vs Baccharis: Iva has bisexual disk flowers with anthers; Baccharis has male and female flowers on separate plants.
Frequently asked questions
Is Iva axillaris native to California?
Yes. Iva axillaris is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Iva axillaris bloom?
Iva axillaris blooms Apr-Oct.
What plant family does Iva axillaris belong to?
Iva axillaris is in the Asteraceae family, genus Iva.
What habitat does Iva axillaris grow in?
Iva axillaris grows in Seasonally wet, saline habitats, roadsides.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.