Malacothrix foliosa subsp. polycephala

Many-headed malacothrix, Many-Headed Malacothrix

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Many-headed malacothrix is a California native annual herb ranked 4.2 by CNPS, found on San Nicolas Island in southern Channel Islands in sandy coastal canyons, bluffs, and open sandy loam areas near the ocean at elevations of 2 to 200 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces white to yellow flowers in heads 5 to 7 millimeters long with outer flower ligules extending 1.5 to 3.5 millimeters. Growing with a single erect stem 10 to 30 centimeters tall, branching outward from the upper portions, it has a delicate and spreading growth habit. Its leaves are distinctive, with distal leaves having narrow triangular shapes and 1 to 2 pairs of narrow basal lobes, creating an intricate foliage pattern. The small fruits are 0.9 to 1.5 millimeters long with approximately equal ribs, reflecting the plant's delicate structural characteristics.

Habitat: Canyons, bluffs, open sandy loam on flats near but not on dunes, near ocean

Bloom period: Mar-Jul

Elevation: 2-200 m

Bioregions: s ChI (San Nicolas Island).

California counties: Ventura

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