Townsendia scapigera

Tufted townsend daisy

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Tufted townsend daisy is a California native perennial found in the Great Basin in rocky slopes and sagebrush openings at elevations of 1,400 to 3,600 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces white to pink or violet ray flowers on peduncles over 30 millimeters long. Growing as a low, compact plant 3 to 10 centimeters tall with erect stems, it forms a dense tufted cluster. Its leaves are basal and along the stem, oblanceolate to obovate, 1 to 5 centimeters long, with a strigose (stiff-haired) surface and rounded tips. The fruit is spread with fine hairs, with a persistent pappus that helps in wind dispersal.

Habitat: Rocky slopes, openings in sagebrush

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 1400-3600 m

Bioregions: GB

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