Taraxacum ceratophorum
Horned dandelion
Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1
Horned dandelion is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) native perennial found in the White and Inyo Mountains in moist alpine meadows at elevations of 2,900 to 3,100 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces yellow flowers with distinctive horned phyllaries that extend outward like small, pointed appendages. Growing with multiple oblanceolate leaves up to 10 in number, the plant forms a low-growing cluster with sessile or widely winged leaf bases. Its leaves are approximately toothed or lobed, creating a delicate, serrated appearance. The fruit develops in straw-colored to olive-brown tones, with a sharply textured surface in its upper third.
Habitat: Moist alpine meadows
Bloom period: Jun-Aug
Elevation: 2900-3100 m
Bioregions: W&I
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.