Lessingia arachnoidea

Crystal springs lessingia, Crystal Springs Lessingia

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Crystal springs lessingia is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in the San Francisco Bay Area near Crystal Springs Reservoir and Camp Meeker in serpentinite grasslands, coastal scrub, chaparral, and woodland at elevations of 40 to 300 meters. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces delicate pink to lavender flowers with darker tube centers in small clusters with cobwebby involucres. Growing with erect stems 15 to 80 centimeters tall, it has ascending branches that are tan-colored and become glabrous or thinly hairy toward the tips. Its leaves transition from petioled basal leaves to small lanceolate cauline leaves 0.2 to 3.5 centimeters long, becoming reduced to awl-shaped bracts higher on the stem. The fruit is 2 to 3 millimeters long with a white or tan-white pappus that is generally shorter than the fruit.

Habitat: Serpentinite soil in grassland, coastal scrub, chaparral, woodland

Bloom period: Jul-Oct

Elevation: 40-300 m

Bioregions: SnFrB (near Crystal Springs Reservoir, San Mateo Co. near Camp Meeker, Sonoma Co.).

California counties: San Mateo, Sonoma

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