Tetradymia spinosa

Shortspine horsebrush

Family: Asteraceae · Type: shrub · Native

Shortspine horsebrush is a native shrub found in southern Modoc Plateau and northern Sierra Nevada Eastern Slopes in saltbush scrub at elevations of 800 to 2,400 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces yellow flowers in small clusters with heads 8 to 12 millimeters long. Growing as a compact shrub up to 1 meter tall with distinctively spiny branches, it develops rigid, recurved spines that form part of its structural character. Its leaves are notable for their varied form, with main leaves 5 to 25 millimeters long forming sharp spines and clustered leaves that are thread-like to nearly oblanceolate. The plant's fruits are densely covered in long white hairs, adding to its distinctive appearance in arid landscapes.

Habitat: Generally saltbush scrub

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 800-2400 m

Bioregions: s MP, n SNE

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