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

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

, native to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

. 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 A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

. It grows primarily in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

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 are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its p ...

, 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 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 across, flat-topped, with both

disc flowers Asteraceae () is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger fam ...

and ray flowers. ''"Confertiflorum"'' means densely flowered. It blooms from January to July. The fruit is an

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple fruit, simple dry fruits, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and Dehi ...

with a very short pappus. The top of each stem forms an

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

of up to 30

flower heads A pseudanthium (; : pseudanthia) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, composite flowers ...

, each bright golden yellow head with a large center of

disc floret Asteraceae () is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger fa ...

s and usually a fringe of rounded to oval

ray florets Asteraceae () is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger fa ...

.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 ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a population of 30,218 in the 2020 census. The city was fou ...

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