Microseris nutans

Nodding microceris

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Nodding microceris is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, California Ranges, Sierra Nevada, and Modoc Plateau in moist, rocky meadows, open conifer woodland, and sagebrush scrub at elevations of 1,000 to 3,400 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces distinctive yellow ligulate flowers in heads 8 to 22 millimeters long with slightly mealy and black-hairy involucres. Growing with branched stems 10 to 70 centimeters tall that are leafy toward the base, it has an upright and open growth habit. Its leaves range from 5 to 30 centimeters long, varying from entire to distinctly lobed. The fruit is pale brown to reddish, 3.5 to 8 millimeters long, with silvery pappus scales and plumose bristles.

Habitat: Common. Moist, rocky meadows, open conifer woodland, sagebrush scrub

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 1000-3400 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRH, CaRH, SNH, MP

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