Malacothrix stebbinsii

Stebbins' dandelion

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Stebbins' dandelion is a California native annual found in the eastern Sierra Nevada and desert regions in gravelly soils on flats, gullies, and streambeds at elevations of 300 to 1,300 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces white to pale yellow flowers with ligules extending 1 to 2 millimeters beyond the involucre in open clusters. Growing up to 60 centimeters tall with 1 to 5 nearly erect stems that branch toward the top, it develops a distinctive growth pattern with progressively reduced leaves. Its basal leaves are obovate with 3 to 5 pairs of lobes, while cauline leaves become smaller and less complex toward the stem's upper portions. The fruit is small, measuring 1.7 to 2.3 millimeters long with nearly equal ribs and sparse outer pappus.

Habitat: Gravelly soils on flats, gullies, streambeds, streambanks

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 300-1300 m

Bioregions: SNE, D

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