Lessingia germanorum

San francisco lessingia, San Francisco Lessingia

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

San francisco lessingia is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in the central Coast and San Francisco Bay Area bioregions, specifically in sandy soils of the Presidio and San Mateo County at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from June to November, this plant produces yellow flowers with purple-brown banded tubes in small heads 4 to 8 millimeters wide, with flower heads featuring distinctively recurved purple-tipped phyllaries. Growing with erect tan to reddish-brown stems 5 to 30 centimeters tall, the plant has a delicate upright structure. Its leaves are primarily basal with oblong to oblanceolate shapes, ranging from 0.5 to 3 centimeters long, and can be entire or occasionally pinnately lobed. The fruit is small, measuring 1 to 3 millimeters in length, with a tan pappus that is longer than the fruit itself.

Habitat: Sandy soil

Bloom period: Jun-Nov

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: CCo (Presidio, San Francisco Co.), SnFrB (Hillside Park, San Mateo Co.).

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