Layia jonesii

Jones' layia, Jones' Layia

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Jones' layia is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in southern Central Coast and central Southern Coastal Range of California in open serpentine or clayey slopes at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces yellow and white ray flowers 5 to 10 millimeters long with white tips, arranged in heads 4 to 8 millimeters wide. Growing 7 to 55 centimeters tall with generally purple-streaked stems that are glandular in texture, it has a distinctive branching form. Its leaves are linear to lanceolate, with proximal leaves having lobes extending more than halfway to the midvein, measuring less than 7 centimeters long. The ray fruits are glabrous and shiny, with disk flowers featuring dark purple anthers and white, ciliate pappus scales.

Habitat: Open serpentine or clayey slopes

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 300 m

Bioregions: s CCo, c SCoRO (San Luis Obispo Co.).

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