Xylorhiza orcuttii

Orcutt's woody-aster

Family: Asteraceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Orcutt's woody-aster is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native shrub found in southern Desert of Colorado sections in arid canyons and creosote-bush scrub at elevations below 400 meters. Flowering from January to May, this plant produces lavender or light blue ray flowers 1.2 to 3.2 centimeters long with distinctive ray heads. Growing to 1.5 meters tall with generally glabrous stems, it forms a compact shrubby structure. Its leaves are oblanceolate to oblong, 2 to 6 centimeters long, with obtuse or acute tips that are sometimes spiny-dentate or entirely smooth. The flower heads contain 25 to 40 ray flowers and 55 to 140 disk flowers, creating a delicate lavender-blue display across its desert habitat.

Habitat: Arid canyons, barren slopes; creosote-bush scrub

Bloom period: Jan-May

Elevation: < 400 m

Bioregions: s DSon.

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