Stephanomeria pauciflora

Wire-lettuce, Wire-Lettuce

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Wire-lettuce is a California native perennial herb found in southern Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi, San Joaquin Valley, southern Coast Ranges, southern California, Transverse Ranges, eastern Peninsular Ranges, eastern Sierra Nevada, and Desert regions in sandy, gravelly washes, slopes, and plains at elevations of 200 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from March to November, this plant produces white to lavender-pink flowers in solitary heads approximately 1 centimeter long. Growing 2 to 10 meters tall with multiple intricately branched stems that spread widely, it develops from a woody base with ascending or widely spreading branches. Its leaves are predominantly basal and quickly wither during flowering, with cauline leaves becoming progressively smaller and bract-like as the plant matures. The fruit features distinctively grooved and tubercled surfaces with tan, feathery pappus bristles that are widened at the base.

Habitat: Sandy, gravelly washes, slopes, plains

Bloom period: Mar-Nov

Elevation: 200-1500 m

Bioregions: s SNH, Teh, SnJV, SCoR, SCo, TR, e PR, SNE, D

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