Tetradymia glabrata
Little leaf horsebrush
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Tetradymia glabrata (Little leaf horsebrush) is a native California shrub in the Asteraceae family, recognized by unarmed habit and small ascending/appressed leaves.
Little leaf horsebrush is a California native shrub found in the Great Basin and western Mojave Desert regions in desert scrub, pinyon/juniper, and Joshua-tree woodland at elevations of 700 to 2,400 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces cream to golden yellow flowers in clusters of 3 to 7 heads approximately 7 to 10 millimeters long. Growing up to 1.2 meters tall with unevenly tomentose stems that become nearly smooth in stripes below the nodes, it has an open, distinctive branching structure. Its leaves are characteristically sparse, with main leaves 5 to 10 millimeters long, narrowly awl-shaped and ascending, and clustered leaves thread-like to slightly club-shaped. The fruit is 3 to 4 millimeters long with glandular ribs and a pappus of fine bristles 6 to 8 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 7 sympatric species; key features are unarmed habit and small ascending/appressed leaves
Habitat and range
Habitat: Desert scrub, pinyon/juniper or Joshua-tree woodland
Elevation: 700-2400 m
Outside California: to Oregon, Idaho, Utah
Bloom period
Tetradymia glabrata blooms Apr-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Ericameria: Tetradymia has 4-6 bracts in 1-2 rows; Ericameria has many bracts in 5 vertical rows.; vs Artemisia: Tetradymia has rigid spine-tipped branches; Artemisia has soft, non-spiny aromatic foliage.; vs Lycium: Tetradymia has yellow composite flowers; Lycium has tubular purple/greenish flowers with 5 petals.; vs Senecio: Tetradymia has 4-8 flowers per head with woolly appearance; Senecio has more flowers per head and often ray petals.; vs Krascheninnikovia: Tetradymia has yellow composite flowers; Krascheninnikovia has tiny greenish flowers without petals (Chenopodiaceae family).
Frequently asked questions
Is Tetradymia glabrata native to California?
Yes. Tetradymia glabrata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Tetradymia glabrata bloom?
Tetradymia glabrata blooms Apr-Jul.
What plant family does Tetradymia glabrata belong to?
Tetradymia glabrata is in the Asteraceae family, genus Tetradymia.
What habitat does Tetradymia glabrata grow in?
Tetradymia glabrata grows in Desert scrub, pinyon/juniper or Joshua-tree woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
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.