''Gamochaeta stagnalis'', the desert cudweed, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

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 ...

. It is native to Mexico, Guatemala, and the southwestern United States (

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

).Guy L. Nesom 2004. New distribution records for ''Gamochaeta'' (Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae) in the United States. Sida 21(2): 1175–1185.
/ref> ''Gamochaeta stagnalis'' is an annual herb up to tall, producing a slender taproot. Leaves are up to long. The plant forms many small flower heads in tightly packed clumps. Each head contains 3–4 purple disc flowers but no ray flowers.Flora of North America, ''Gamochaeta stagnalis'' (I. M. Johnston) Anderberg, 1991. Desert cudweed
/ref> ''Gamochaeta stagnalis'' is very similar to '' G. purpureum'' and some ''G. stagnalis'' specimens (especially from Arizona) have been misidentified as that species.

References

stagnalis Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of Mexico Flora of Guatemala Plants described in 1923 {{Gnaphalieae-stub