Stephanomeria exigua subsp. carotifera

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

slender tarweed is a California native annual herb found in the Central Coast and southern Coastal Range bioregions in open, sandy, shale, and serpentine soils near the coast or inland at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from June to October, this plant produces delicate white flowers in panicle-like clusters with heads featuring 7 to 9 individual flowers. Growing with slender stems that are either smooth or slightly hairy, it develops elegant branching structures with reflexed outer phyllaries. Its leaves are relatively sparse and narrow, adapting to the challenging sandy and serpentine soil environments. The fruit features white, feathery pappus bristles that vary between coastal and inland populations, with coastal plants having completely deciduous bristles while inland populations have bristles that are partially persistent.

Habitat: Open, sandy, shale, serpentine soils near coast or inland

Bloom period: Jun-Oct

Elevation: < 1000 m

Bioregions: CCo, SCoR.

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