Malacothrix torreyi

Torrey's desertdandelion

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Torrey's desertdandelion is a California native annual found in the Great Basin and northern Mojave Desert in coarse soils, dry sagebrush slopes, juniper grassland, and desert scrub at elevations of 1,500 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces medium yellow flowers with ligules extending 7 to 10 millimeters, creating delicate, open clusters. Growing up to 25 centimeters tall with 1 to 5 erect to ascending stems that are sparsely branched and lightly glaucous, it has a distinctive appearance with tack-shaped hairs. Its basal leaves are fleshy with 2 to 6 pairs of short-toothed lobes, while cauline leaves are obovate to oblong with 3 to 8 pairs of triangular to linear lobes. The fruit features prominent wing-like ribs extending beyond its tip, giving this desert annual a unique structural character.

Habitat: Coarse soils, dry sagebrush slopes, juniper grassland, desert scrub

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 1500-1800 m

Bioregions: GB, n DMoj

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