Malacothrix phaeocarpa

Dusky-fruited malacothrix, Dusky-Fruited Malacothrix

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Dusky-fruited malacothrix is a California native annual herb found in San Francisco Bay, south coastal ranges, and western Transverse Ranges in diatomaceous shale slides, chaparral openings, and Bishop-pine forests at elevations of 100 to 1,300 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces white flowers in loose clusters with ligules extending one to three millimeters beyond the involucre. Growing with spreading to ascending stems up to 44 centimeters tall, it branches extensively throughout its slender structure. Its basal leaves are fleshy with wide, obtuse lobes, while lower stem leaves have 3 to 8 pairs of nearly equal lobes with white hair tufts at the base. The fruit is distinctive with nearly equal ribs and a scarious, rounded-toothed crown.

Habitat: Diatomaceous shale of slides, burns, openings in chaparral, Bishop-pine/Douglas fir forest

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 100-1300 m

Bioregions: SnFrB, SCoR, WTR.

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