Porophyllum ruderale var. macrocephalum

Yerba porosa

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Yerba porosa is a naturalized annual herb found in southern California coastal areas, typically in agricultural settings at elevations below 10 meters. Flowering from September to November, this plant produces flowers that range from nearly white to purple, with distinctive linear phyllaries 15 to 25 millimeters long that are dotted or streaked with glands. Growing with a single stem reaching up to 50 centimeters tall, the plant has ascending branches and appears glabrous. Its leaves are 1 to 5 centimeters long, varying from narrowly elliptic to ovate or obovate, with entire or slightly crenate edges. The fruit is 8 to 10 millimeters long, accompanied by a pappus 6 to 7 millimeters long that ranges from green to dark purple.

Habitat: Agricultural weed

Bloom period: Sep-Nov

Elevation: < 10 m

Bioregions: SCo

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