Pyrrocoma hirta
Tacky goldenweed, Tacky Goldenweed
(c) Daniel Kennedy, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Pyrrocoma hirta (Tacky goldenweed) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family.
Tacky goldenweed is a California native perennial found in montane habitats at elevations of 1,000 to 3,000 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces bright yellow flowers in heads 9 to 20 millimeters wide, with 10 to 30 ray flowers up to 15 millimeters long. Growing with erect stems 10 to 45 centimeters tall, covered in woolly and glandular hairs, it forms a distinctive raceme-like cluster of flower heads. Its leaves are elliptic to lance-shaped, typically 1 to 19 centimeters long with slightly toothed edges. The fruit is silky, three-angled, and 3 to 5 millimeters long, topped with a tan pappus 5 to 8 millimeters long.
How to tell it apart
vs Heterotheca: Pyrrocoma has 3-4 angled fruits and prominent basal rosette; Heterotheca has round fruits.; vs Solidago: Pyrrocoma grows from stout taproot with basal rosette in alpine areas; Solidago lacks prominent basal rosette.; vs Xanthisma: Pyrrocoma has 3-4 angled fruits from basal rosette; Xanthisma has round fruits and branched stems.; vs Tonestus: Pyrrocoma has variable hairiness (smooth to woolly); Tonestus is always sticky-glandular.; vs Petradoria: Pyrrocoma grows in alpine areas with angled fruits; Petradoria is desert-only with phyllaries in vertical ranks.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pyrrocoma hirta native to California?
Yes. Pyrrocoma hirta is native to California (recorded as native).
What plant family does Pyrrocoma hirta belong to?
Pyrrocoma hirta is in the Asteraceae family, genus Pyrrocoma.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.