Madia subspicata
(c) Steve Matson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Madia subspicata is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by spike-like inflorescence, short/absent peduncles, golden-yellow glands, and grooved phyllary tips.
Madia subspicata is a California native annual found in the northern Sierra Nevada foothills, Sutter Buttes, and central valley grasslands at elevations of 50 to 800 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces pale yellow ray flowers with golden yellow disk flowers in small, unshowy heads. Growing 5 to 60 centimeters tall with soft-hairy stems that become glandular toward the top, it develops slender lateral branches that do not exceed the main stem. Its leaves are narrow and linear, measuring 2 to 7 centimeters long and only 1 to 5 millimeters wide, typically found in grasslands and open woodland areas. The fruits are compressed and dark, ranging from black to brown with occasional purple mottling, and appear slightly club-shaped.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species; distinguished by spike-like inflorescence, short/absent peduncles, golden-yellow glands, and grooved phyllary tips
Habitat and range
Habitat: Grassland, open woodland, often in shade
Elevation: 50-800 m
Bloom period
Madia subspicata blooms Apr-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Anisocarpus: Madia has absolutely no pappus on disk flowers; Anisocarpus has 5-21 scales forming a pappus on disk flowers.; vs Deinandra: Madia has ray fruits completely hidden by bracts and no disk pappus; Deinandra has exposed ray fruits and disk pappus present.; vs Layia: Madia has bright yellow rays and no disk pappus; Layia often has white or bicolored rays and hairy disk pappus.; vs Hemizonia: Madia has fruits completely wrapped by bracts; Hemizonia has fruits only partly enclosed by bracts.; vs Lagophylla: Madia has yellow rays and no pappus; Lagophylla has white rays and scale-like pappus on disk flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Madia subspicata native to California?
Yes. Madia subspicata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Madia subspicata bloom?
Madia subspicata blooms Apr-Jun.
What plant family does Madia subspicata belong to?
Madia subspicata is in the Asteraceae family, genus Madia.
What habitat does Madia subspicata grow in?
Madia subspicata grows in Grassland, open woodland, often in shade.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Madia anomala — Plump seeded madia
- Madia citrigracilis — Shasta tarweed
- Madia citriodora — Lemon scented tarweed
- Madia elegans — Common madia
- Madia exigua — Little tarweed
- Madia glomerata — Mountain tarweed
- Malacothrix californica — California dandelion
- Malacothrix clevelandii — Cleveland's dandelion
- Malacothrix coulteri — Snake's-head
- Malacothrix floccifera — Woolly dandelion
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.