Malacothrix californica

California dandelion

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

California dandelion is a native annual herb found in southern Sierra Nevada foothills, San Joaquin Valley, central and western California, southwestern California, and desert regions in open, sandy habitats including coastal dunes, grasslands, oak woodlands, chaparral, and desert margins at elevations below 1,700 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces yellow to white flowers in solitary heads with ligules extending 11 to 13 millimeters long. Growing to 45 centimeters tall with a single short, unbranched stem that is generally not visible, it develops distinctive basal leaves that are linear to oblanceolate with conspicuously long hairs at the base. Its leaves have well-spaced linear to thread-like lobes, creating a delicate, airy appearance. The fruit is 2 to 3.4 millimeters long with irregular outer pappus teeth and two bristles.

Habitat: Open, sandy soil in coastal dunes, grassland, oak woodland, chaparral, desert margins

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 1700 m

Bioregions: s SNF, SnJV, CW, SW, D

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