Pluchea sericea

Arrow-weed, Arrow-Weed

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Arrow-weed is a California native annual found in southern San Joaquin Valley, southern Coast Ranges, southwestern California, and desert regions, forming thickets in stream bottoms, washes, and canyons at elevations below 950 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces pink to deep rose flowers in small heads 3.5 to 6 millimeters wide with brown-purple phyllaries. Growing as a tall plant one to five meters in height with an upright, dense habit, it develops sessile or nearly sessile leaves along its stems. Its leaves are simple and unstalked, creating a dense thicket-like appearance in riparian and desert environments. When mature, the plant produces tiny smooth fruits approximately 0.5 to 1 millimeter long.

Habitat: Forming thickets in stream bottoms, washes, canyons, around springs, sometimes in saline areas

Bloom period: Mar-Jul

Elevation: < 950 m

Bioregions: SnJV, s CCo, SCoR, SW (exc n ChI), D

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