Micropus californicus var. subvestitus

Hairy slender cottonweed

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Hairy slender cottonweed is a California native annual found in central Sierra Nevada Foothills and central western California in dry, shallow, exposed soils including serpentine areas at elevations of 50 to 1,100 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces small white flower heads approximately 3 to 4.5 millimeters in diameter with delicate silky-tomentose paleae. Growing with slender stems to roughly 20 centimeters tall, it forms compact clusters of tiny flower heads. Its leaves are small and narrow, typically clustered near the base of the plant with a pale green to grayish coloration. The fruit is minute, measuring 1.4 to 2.2 millimeters long with a subtle disk pappus.

Habitat: Dry, shallow, exposed soils (including serpentine)

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 50-1100 m

Bioregions: c SNF, CW (exc SCoRI).

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