''Palafoxia callosa'', commonly known as the small palafox, or spanish needles is a species of flowering plant in the

aster family 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 ...

. It is native to North America, where it is found in the south-central United States and in the state of

Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...

in Mexico.Flora of North America, ''Palafoxia callosa''
/ref> A disjunct population is found in the Blackland Prairie region of

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

in the United States. Its natural habitat is rocky, calcareous soil in glades and prairies. It is less commonly found along the banks of streams. It is popular for butterfly gardens. ''Palafoxia callosa'' is an annual. It produces heads of pink to white flowers in late summer and fall. Its narrow leaves are often wilted by flowering time.

References

callosa Flora of the South-Central United States Flora of Coahuila Taxa named by Thomas Nuttall Flora of Missouri {{Asteroideae-stub