Sphaeromeria cana
Gray chickensage
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Sphaeromeria cana (Gray chickensage) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by height, leafy stems, and habitat.
Gray chickensage is a California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and northern Desert Mountains in rocky places, ledges, and talus at elevations of 1,800 to 4,000 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces white or cream-colored flowers in dense clusters of 3 to 12 heads. Growing with leafy stems 15 to 60 centimeters tall that branch from the base, it forms a compact, bushy appearance. Its leaves vary from 10 to 40 millimeters long, with basal and lower stem leaves typically having 3 to 4 lobes, while upper leaves remain entire. The plant's disk flowers have soft-hairy corolla lobes, giving it a distinctive textured appearance.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 3 sympatric species; distinguished by height, leafy stems, and habitat
Habitat and range
Habitat: Uncommon. Rocky places, ledges, ridges, talus
Elevation: 1800-4000 m
Outside California: to Oregon, Nevada
Bloom period
Sphaeromeria cana blooms Jul-Sep.
How to tell it apart
vs Pentachaeta: Sphaeromeria has tiny yellow buttonlike heads in flat clusters; Pentachaeta has daisy-like flowers with white or purple ray petals.; vs Tanacetum: Sphaeromeria has much smaller heads (3-5mm) with only 12-20 bracts; Tanacetum has larger heads with 30-60 bracts.; vs Artemisia: Sphaeromeria has flat-topped flower clusters forming cushions; Artemisia has elongated spike-like or pyramidal flower arrangements.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sphaeromeria cana native to California?
Yes. Sphaeromeria cana is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Sphaeromeria cana bloom?
Sphaeromeria cana blooms Jul-Sep.
What plant family does Sphaeromeria cana belong to?
Sphaeromeria cana is in the Asteraceae family, genus Sphaeromeria.
What habitat does Sphaeromeria cana grow in?
Sphaeromeria cana grows in Uncommon. Rocky places, ledges, ridges, talus.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · 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.