Psilocarphus brevissimus

Short woollyheads

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Short woollyheads is a California native annual herb found in grasslands and open areas at low to moderate elevations. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces small white to grayish flowers in compact woolly heads with subtle green to gray tones. Growing with delicate stems 5 to 15 centimeters tall, it has a distinctive cobwebby to woolly appearance that helps it blend into dry grassland landscapes. Its leaves are predominantly appressed to the flower heads, with lance-shaped to ovate blades that are relatively short and closely aligned with the plant's compact structure. The plant's tiny fruits are club-shaped and measure less than 2 millimeters long, reflecting its diminutive and intricate nature.

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