Tonestus peirsonii

Peirson's tonestus, Peirson's Tonestus

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Peirson's tonestus is a rare California native (CNPS rank 4.3) perennial found in central Sierra Nevada Mountains in Inyo and Fresno counties, particularly in rocky granite sites and crevices at elevations of 2,900 to 3,700 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces white ray flowers with yellow disk centers in compact heads 14 to 28 millimeters wide. Growing in dense clusters with a branched woody base, it forms low-growing plants less than 20 centimeters tall. Its leaves range up to 8 centimeters long, with coarse serrations or nearly smooth edges, arranged in a compact cluster. The plant produces hairy fruits 2.5 to 6 millimeters long, with inner flower bracts that are green to reddish at the tips.

Habitat: Rocky sites, crevices in granite

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 2900-3700 m

Bioregions: c SNH (Inyo, Fresno cos.), W&ampI.

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