Tauschia glauca
Glaucous tauschia
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Family: Apiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Tauschia glauca (Glaucous tauschia) is a native California herb in the Apiaceae family, recognized by glaucous coating and small round fruits.
Glaucous tauschia is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges and northern Coast Ranges on gravelly, generally serpentine flats in conifer forest at elevations of 80 to 1,700 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces yellow flowers in delicate compound umbels with unequal rays 1 to 6 centimeters long. Growing 20 to 40 centimeters tall with nearly leafless stems, it has a distinctive glabrous appearance. Its complex leaves are 6 to 12 centimeters long, ovate to round, with 2-ternate or ternate-pinnate structure featuring 10 to 17 millimeter leaflets that are coarsely serrate or lobed. The small, rounded fruit is 2 to 3 millimeters long with thread-like ribs and 2 to 3 oil tubes per rib-interval.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 2 sympatric species; glaucous coating and small round fruits are diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Gravelly, generally serpentine flats in conifer forest
Elevation: 80-1700 m
Outside California: southern Oregon
Bloom period
Tauschia glauca blooms Apr-Jun.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
How to tell it apart
vs Lomatium: Tauschia has leaf-like bracts longer than flower stalks; Lomatium bracts are shorter or absent.; vs Sanicula: Tauschia flowers are yellow in open umbels; Sanicula flowers are tiny greenish in tight heads.; vs Sambucus: Tauschia has divided carrot-family leaves; Sambucus has pinnate leaves and is a shrub.; vs Angelica: Tauschia flowers are yellow; Angelica flowers are white or greenish.; vs Foeniculum: Tauschia has broader leaflets; Foeniculum has hair-fine, fragrant, feathery foliage.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tauschia glauca native to California?
Yes. Tauschia glauca is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Tauschia glauca bloom?
Tauschia glauca blooms Apr-Jun.
What plant family does Tauschia glauca belong to?
Tauschia glauca is in the Apiaceae family, genus Tauschia.
Is Tauschia glauca rare or endangered?
Tauschia glauca carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S4.
What habitat does Tauschia glauca grow in?
Tauschia glauca grows in Gravelly, generally serpentine flats in conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.