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Cliff Aster
Malacothrix saxatilis
  
2 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Cliff Aster (Malacothrix saxatilis) 2 Nurseries Carry This Plant Malacothrix saxatilis is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name cliff desertdandelion. 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 and caudex unit. The leaves are variable in size and shape and may be lobed or not. The flower cluster is an array of flower heads 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.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb

Size
Size
1 - 2 ft tall

Flower Color
Flower Color
White

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Winter, Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported
 


 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 5 likely * ) SHOW ALL
*
Hyles lineata Image
White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata
*
Autographa californica Image
Alfalfa Looper Moth Autographa californicaAutographa californica
*
Heliolonche pictipennis Image
Heliolonche pictipennisHeliolonche pictipennis
*
Cucullia comstocki Image
Cucullia comstockiCucullia comstocki
*
Heliolonche joaquinensis Image
Heliolonche joaquinensisHeliolonche joaquinensis

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Extremely Low, Very Low

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 2

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Common uses
Common uses
Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment. gives slow and sporadic germination.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Sand dunes and open places

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.3" - 45.5", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 2.13", Coldest Month: 34.1" - 57.9", Hottest Month: 59.7" - 85.0", Humidity: 0.79" - 36.22", Elevation: -4136" - 8278"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Cliff Desertdandelion, Cliff-aster


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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


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