Orochaenactis thysanocarpha
California mountainpincushion
(c) Steve Matson, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Steve Matson · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Orochaenactis thysanocarpha (California mountainpincushion) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by Endemic monotypic genus restricted to the southern Sierra Nevada.
California mountainpincushion is a California native annual found in southern Sierra Nevada Mountains in open conifer forest, dry meadows, and gravelly slopes at elevations of 1,600 to 3,800 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces yellow flowers in small heads 6 to 8 millimeters long with purple-tinged involucre bracts. Growing with slender spreading to erect stems 1 to 25 centimeters tall that are short-hairy and sometimes glandular, it has a delicate branching habit. Its leaves range from 1 to 4 centimeters long, linear to narrowly oblong-oblanceolate, with proximal leaves opposite and distal leaves alternate. The fruit is a club-shaped, ribbed structure 2.5 to 4 millimeters long with a distinctive pappus of 11 to 17 fringed scales.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Endemic monotypic genus restricted to the southern Sierra Nevada
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open conifer forest, dry meadows, gravelly slopes
Elevation: 1600-3800 m
Bloom period
Orochaenactis thysanocarpha blooms Jun-Sep.
How to tell it apart
vs Echinops: Orochaenactis has soft, non-spiny flower heads; Echinops has hard, spiny, ball-shaped flower heads.; vs Hecastocleis: Orochaenactis is non-spiny with smooth leaf tips; Hecastocleis has spiny flower heads and spiny-tipped leaves.; vs Eriophyllum: Orochaenactis has smooth, unlobed leaf tips; Eriophyllum has three-lobed or divided leaf tips.
Frequently asked questions
Is Orochaenactis thysanocarpha native to California?
Yes. Orochaenactis thysanocarpha is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Orochaenactis thysanocarpha bloom?
Orochaenactis thysanocarpha blooms Jun-Sep.
What plant family does Orochaenactis thysanocarpha belong to?
Orochaenactis thysanocarpha is in the Asteraceae family, genus Orochaenactis.
What habitat does Orochaenactis thysanocarpha grow in?
Orochaenactis thysanocarpha grows in Open conifer forest, dry meadows, gravelly slopes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.