''Eriophyllum confertiflorum'', commonly called golden yarrow or yellow yarrow, is a North American species of plant in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

, native to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

. It has wooly leaves when young, and yellow flower heads.Flowering plants: The Santa Monica Mountains, coastal & chaparral regions of Southern California, Nancy Dale, 2nd Ed., 2000, p. 63 ''"Eriophyllum"'' means "wooly leaved." ''Eriophyllum confertiflorum'' gets its common name from the similar appearance of its inflorescence to the '' true yarrow'', which has white flowers.Calflora taxon report, University of California, ''Eriophyllum confertiflorum'' (DC.) A. Gray Yellow Yarrow, golden yarrow
/ref>

Habitat and distribution

''Eriophyllum confertiflorum'' is a highly variable plant which is generally a small shrub. It grows primarily in the Sierra Nevada and Coastal Ranges in

and

. It can be found in a number of plant communities and habitats. In the

Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains is a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. Because of its proximity to densely populated regions, it is one of the most visited natural areas in ...

, it is common in open places that are away from the coast. ''Eriophyllum confertiflorum'' grows in large clumps or stands of many erect stems often exceeding 50 cm (20 inches) in height. Botanist Nancy Dale describes the growth pattern as "tidy". Leaves are alternate. Leaves and stems are whitish when young, because of being covered in wooly white hairs, then become greenish to gray-green. Leaves have 3-5 deep lobes. Yellow flowers are crowded in the head, which is up to 3/8 inch (0.94 cm) across, flat-topped, with both disc flowers and

ray flowers The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

. ''"Confertiflorum"'' means densely flowered. It blooms from January to July. The fruit is an achene with a very short pappus. The top of each stem forms an

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

of up to 30} flower heads, each bright golden yellow head with a large center of

disc floret The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

s and usually a fringe of rounded to oval

ray florets The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

.Flora of North America, ''Eriophyllum confertiflorum'' (de Candolle) A. Gray, 1883. Golden or yellow yarrow
/ref> ;Varieties *''Eriophyllum confertiflorum'' var. ''confertiflorum'' - most of species range *''Eriophyllum confertiflorum'' var. ''tanacetiflorum'' (Greene) Jeps. - Sierra Nevada foothills + San Gabriel Mountains *''Eriophyllum confertiflorum'' var. ''trifidum'' (Nutt.) A.Gray -

coast between Santa Barbara +

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...

Rydberg, Per Axel 1915. North American Flora 34(2): 95
as ''Eriophyllum trifidum''

References

External links

*
Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Eriophyllum confertiflorum''United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile''Eriophyllum confertiflorum'' - Calphotos Photo gallery, University of California
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5389476 confertiflorum Flora of California Flora of Baja California Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Channel Islands of California Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Plants described in 1836 Taxa named by Asa Gray Flora without expected TNC conservation status