Malacothrix foliosa

Leafy desertdandelion

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Leafy desertdandelion is a California native annual found in arid regions with open, disturbed habitats at moderate elevations. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces pale to medium yellow flowers with ray florets extending 1.5 to 10 millimeters beyond the involucre in delicate clusters. Growing with decumbent to ascending stems up to 45 centimeters tall, often distinctively red-tinged and branching variably, it presents an open, somewhat sprawling form. Its leaves are primarily basal and cauline, featuring oblanceolate to obovate blades with toothed or lobed margins, the leaf tips ranging from wide-acute to acuminate. The plant's inflorescence is characterized by numerous heads with red-tinged involucres 5 to 12 millimeters long, creating an airy, open flowering structure.

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