''Pentachaeta aurea'' is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names golden-rayed pentachaeta,''Pentachaeta aurea''.
The Jepson Manual. golden chaetopappa,''Pentachaeta aurea''.
USDA Plants Profile. and golden leastdaisy.''Pentachaeta aurea''.
NatureServe. 2012. It is native to southern California, where it grows in the San Gabriel and

San Bernardino Mountains The San Bernardino Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in Southern California in the United States. Situated north and northeast of San Bernardino and spanning two California counties, the range tops out at at San Gorgonio Mountain � ...

and the

Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges, which ...

, and northern Baja California. It is an annual herb with a hairy stem reaching a maximum height near 36 centimeters from a slender taproot. The narrow linear leaves are up to 5 centimeters long but only a few millimeters wide and may be very hairy. The inflorescence is a solitary flower head, with up to 22 heads per plant. The flower head bears many yellow, brownish, or whitish ray florets 3 to 12 millimeters long, and has a center of many five-lobed yellow to reddish disc florets. The fruit is an

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...

tipped with a pappus of bristles.

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Pentachaeta aurea'' (Golden chaetopappa, Golden rayed pentachaeta)UC CalPhotos gallery for ''Pentachaeta aurea''
. Astereae Flora of California Flora of Baja California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Taxa named by Thomas Nuttall {{Astereae-stub