''Malacothrix saxatilis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names cliff desertdandelion or cliff aster. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the central and southern coastal hills and mountain ranges. It is a perennial herb growing 30 to 60 centimeters tall from a

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

and

caudex A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is m ...

unit. The leaves are variable in size and shape and may be lobed or not. The inflorescence is an array of

flower heads A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) 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, compos ...

lined with lance-shaped phyllaries. The ray florets are 1 or 2 centimeters long and white in color. There are five varieties which intergrade, some of which are very limited in distribution.

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileFlora of North AmericaPhoto gallery
saxatilis Endemic flora of California Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Cichorieae-stub