Malacothrix foliosa subsp. philbrickii

Philbrick's malacothrix, Philbrick's Malacothrix

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Philbrick's malacothrix is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found on the southern Channel Islands, specifically on Santa Barbara Island, inhabiting windward side ridges, rocky canyon slopes, and bluffs at elevations below 80 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces medium yellow flowers with ligules extending 4 to 8 millimeters beyond the involucre. Growing with 1 to 10 stems that are erect when single or decumbent to ascending and branched at or above the base, it reaches variable heights across its rocky island habitat. Its leaves are distinctive, with distal leaves oblanceolate to lanceolate and generally lobed from base to near tip. The small fruits are 1.3 to 1.7 millimeters long with 5 prominent ribs, reflecting this plant's adaptation to the challenging island environment.

Habitat: Windward side of island on gravelly ridges, rocky canyon slopes, bluffs, compacted soils

Bloom period: Mar-Jul

Elevation: < 80 m

Bioregions: s ChI (Santa Barbara Island).

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