Home
Advanced Search Map Locator
View Settings
Nurseries Carrying this Plant Add Current Plant To List Edit Current Plant
Show all Photos

About Calscape Nurseries
California Garden Planner Bay Area Garden Planner (NEW) Planting Guide
Butterflies My Plant Lists
Contact Calscape
Tap map to see plants native to location
Order by Popularity Order by Common Name Order by Scientific Name Order by # of Butterflies Hosted
Show nursery cultivars Hide nursery cultivars
Show plants not in nurseries Hide plants not in nurseries
Grid view Text view
Loading....
Telegraph Weed
Heterotheca grandiflora
  
About Telegraph Weed (Heterotheca grandiflora) 5 Nurseries Carry This Plant Heterotheca grandiflora is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family known by the common name Telegraph Weed. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, but it can be found in other areas as an introduced species, such as Hawaii. In California it is widespread from Butte County southward. It is a pioneer species and roadside weed even where it is native. This is a tall, bristly, hairy plant exceeding a meter in height and densely foliated in hairy to spiny toothed or lobed leaves. Leaves are smaller and more widely spaced toward the top of the stem, which is occupied by an flower cluster of bright yellow daisylike flower heads. The disc and ray florets drop away to leave a spherical head of achenes, each with a long white pappus. This plant is rarely used in the garden but is a useful for restoration projects.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb, Annual herb

Size
Size
2.5 - 3.5 ft tall
1.5 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Summer Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported
 
Insects are attracted to the flowers, especially bees and butterflies

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Never irrigate once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Not particular as to soil. Soil PH: 5.1 - 8.2

Common uses
Common uses
Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Can be used with virtually any native plants

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
7, 8, 9*, 10, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Disturbed places, dry streams, dunes

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.2" - 72.4", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 2.73", Coldest Month: 39.7" - 59.2", Hottest Month: 59.8" - 88.4", Humidity: 0.47" - 39.11", Elevation: -36" - 6112"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Telegraphweed


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


Sign in to your Calscape Account X




Once signed in, you'll be able to access any previously saved plant lists or create new ones.

Email Address
Password

Sign In