Microseris acuminata

Needle microseris

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Needle microseris is a California native annual found in northern California bioregions including the North Coast Ranges, Cascade Range Foothills, northern Sierra Nevada Forests, Sacramento Valley, northern San Joaquin Valley, eastern San Francisco Bay Area, and southern Coast Ranges in grassy, open rocky or clay soil at elevations below 760 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces distinctive yellow ligulate flowers in heads with involucres 10 to 22 millimeters long. Growing slender and upright with scapose stems 5 to 35 centimeters tall, it emerges delicately from open grassland habitats. Its leaves are 3 to 20 centimeters long, generally linear with distinctive lobed edges. The fruit has an interesting form, with a 4.5 to 7 millimeter body that flares at the tip and is evenly brown in color.

Habitat: Grassy, open rocky or clay soil

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 760 m

Bioregions: NCoR, CaRF, n&ampc SNF, ScV, n SnJV, e SnFrB, SCoRO (rare)

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