Stephanomeria exigua subsp. coronaria

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

slender wreathlike stephanomeria is a California native annual found in the Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi Mountains, San Joaquin Valley, Central Coast, Channel Islands, Transverse Ranges, Great Basin, and Desert Mountains in coastal sandy sites, grasslands, forest openings, and volcanic or limestone soils at elevations below 2,800 meters. Flowering from June to November, this plant produces delicate white flowers in single or clustered heads along branch nodes. Growing with thin, branching stems reaching 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms a delicate, open structure. Its leaves are narrow and deeply lobed, becoming smaller and more reduced up the stem. The small fruits are topped with white plumose bristles that are fused at the base, giving the plant a distinctive feathery appearance.

Habitat: Coastal sandy sites, grassland, forest openings, limestone, volcanic soils in sagebrush desert

Bloom period: Jun-Nov

Elevation: < 2800 m

Bioregions: SNH, Teh, SnJV, CCo, ChI, TR, GB, DMtns

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