Solidago velutina subsp. californica
California goldenrod, California Goldenrod
Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native
California goldenrod is a California native perennial found in the California Floristic Province, North Coast Ranges, Western Transverse Ranges, and Inland Ranges in woodland margins, grasslands, and disturbed soils at elevations up to 2,500 meters. Flowering from May to November, this plant produces bright yellow flowers in long, pyramid-shaped clusters with heads containing 6 to 11 ray flowers. Growing 30 to 100 centimeters tall with generally soft and short-hairy stems, it forms dense herbage with sometimes three-veined leaves. Its leaves are typically narrow and sometimes slightly toothed, with a soft, velvety texture that gives the plant its distinctive appearance. The compact flower heads are characterized by narrow, acute phyllary bracts that are strigose and contribute to the plant's delicate golden appearance.
Habitat: Woodland margins, grassland, disturbed soils
Bloom period: May-Nov
Elevation: < 2500 m
Bioregions: CA-FP, MP, W&I
California counties: Humboldt, Sonoma, San Bernardino, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Siskiyou, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada, Plumas, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Tuolumne, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Orange, Modoc, Trinity, Marin, Monterey, Amador, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Kings, Lassen, Madera, Sierra, Stanislaus, Sutter, Yuba, Alameda, Butte, El Dorado, Fresno, Inyo, Mariposa, Napa, Placer, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Tulare, San Joaquin, Tehama, Colusa, Glenn, Merced
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.