Layia platyglossa
Tidy-tips, Tidy-Tips
(c) Franco Folini, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Layia platyglossa (Tidy-tips) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by most common species with scabrous (not plumose) pappus.
Tidy-tips is a California native annual found in southern Northern Coast, southern Northern Coast Ranges, Great Valley, Central Western, Southwestern California, and western edge of the Mojave Desert in many habitats at elevations below 2,000 meters. Flowering from February to July, this plant produces bright yellow ray flowers with white tips, surrounded by yellow disk flowers, creating distinctive daisy-like blooms 4 to 15 millimeters wide. Growing 3 to 70 centimeters tall with decumbent to erect stems that are glandular and not strongly scented, it has a variable growth habit adapted to diverse landscapes. Its leaves are linear to lanceolate, 4 to 100 millimeters long, with proximal leaves often partially lobed towards the midvein. The ray fruits are glabrous or sparsely hairy, with disk flowers featuring white to brown pappus bristles 1 to 6 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 15 sympatric species; most common species with scabrous (not plumose) pappus
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common. Many habitats
Elevation: < 2000 m
Outside California: southwestern Oregon, Baja California
Bloom period
Layia platyglossa blooms Feb-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Madia: Layia has prominent feathery seed bristles 2-4mm; Madia has tiny or no seed bristles.; vs Glebionis: Layia has feathery white seed plumes; Glebionis has yellow-orange rays and no seed plumes.; vs Deinandra: Layia has fluffy feathery seed bristles; Deinandra has straight, non-feathery bristles.; vs Monoptilon: Layia has 2-4mm feathery bristles; Monoptilon has shorter non-feathery bristles.; vs Hemizonia: Layia has prominent feathery seed plumes; Hemizonia has short non-feathery bristles or scales.
Frequently asked questions
Is Layia platyglossa native to California?
Yes. Layia platyglossa is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Layia platyglossa bloom?
Layia platyglossa blooms Feb-Jul.
What plant family does Layia platyglossa belong to?
Layia platyglossa is in the Asteraceae family, genus Layia.
What habitat does Layia platyglossa grow in?
Layia platyglossa grows in Common. Many habitats.
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.