Senecio aphanactis

Chaparral ragwort, Chaparral Ragwort

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Chaparral ragwort is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in central western, southern coastal, and Channel Islands bioregions in alkaline flats and dry open rocky areas at elevations of 10 to 550 meters. Flowering from February to May, this plant produces white to yellow flowers in small clusters with delicate, narrow heads. Growing 5 to 20 centimeters tall with thin, often branched stems that emerge from a short taproot, it has a delicate and sparse appearance. Its leaves are oblanceolate to linear, 2 to 4 centimeters long, with pinnately lobed or toothed edges that become smaller and more bract-like toward the stem tips. The fruit is densely hairy and measures 1.7 to 2.5 millimeters long.

Habitat: Alkaline flats, dry open rocky areas

Bloom period: Feb-May

Elevation: 10-550 m

Bioregions: CW, SCo, ChI

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