Layia pentachaeta subsp. pentachaeta

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Layia pentachaeta is a California native annual found in the Sierra Nevada foothills, eastern San Joaquin Valley, southern Coast Ranges, and northern Transverse Ranges in grassy or open clayey and sandy soils at elevations of 100 to 1,200 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces bright yellow ray flowers that stand out against open grassland backgrounds. Growing with delicate, branching stems up to 30 centimeters tall, it forms an airy and graceful annual herb. Its leaves are narrow and deeply divided, providing a fine, lacy texture to the plant's overall appearance. In optimal conditions, it can form small clusters of distinctive yellow daisy-like flowers across its grassland habitats.

Habitat: Grassy or open, clayey or sandy soils, sometimes serpentine

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: 100-1200 m

Bioregions: SNF, e edge SnJV, SCoRI (rare), n WTR.

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