Microseris bigelovii

Coast microseris

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Coast microseris is a California native annual found in northern coastal, central coastal, and San Francisco Bay bioregions in open sandy soil and rocky coastal headlands at elevations below 525 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces yellow to orange flowers in distinctive heads with 5 to 100 individual yellow ligules. Growing 6 to 60 centimeters tall with a scapose (leafless flowering stem) habit, it emerges from delicate root structures in coastal environments. Its leaves are 2 to 25 centimeters long, generally lobed with wide, blunt tips that create a soft, feathery appearance. The fruit develops with a silvery to nearly black pappus, featuring 5 curved scales and 3 to 8 millimeter bristles that aid in wind dispersal.

Habitat: Open sandy soil, or soil pockets on rocky coastal headlands

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: < 525 m

Bioregions: NCo, CCo, SnFrB

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