Pentachaeta fragilis

Fragile pentachaeta

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Fragile pentachaeta is a native annual herb found in southern Sierra Nevada, southern Sierra foothills, southern Coast Ranges, and Transverse Ranges in grassy areas, chaparral, arid woodland, and conifer forest at elevations of 50 to 2,100 meters. Flowering from March to June, this delicate plant produces yellow ray flowers up to 5 millimeters long with matching yellow disk flowers. Growing with slender stems 4 to 16 centimeters tall that are glabrous or sparingly hairy, particularly near the base. Its small leaves are less than 2.5 centimeters long, narrow at 3 millimeters wide, and have a distinctively hairy upper surface. The plant can produce up to 52 flower heads with widely bell-shaped involucres, giving it a delicate and intricate appearance.

Habitat: Grassy areas, chaparral, arid woodland, conifer forest

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: 50-2100 m

Bioregions: s SN, SnJV, s SCoR, WTR.

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