Encelia farinosa x californica   Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)   Native      Encelia

                                           May Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Roundish, low branching shrub, 3-8 (-16) dm. high, fragrant, from a woody trunk and bearing dense clusters of lvs. of the season; lvs. narrowly to broadly ovate, obtuse to acute, entire or +/- repand-toothed, silvery-tomentose, 3-8 cm. long, on shorter petioles; heads solitary at the tips of pubescent peduncles; invol. 5-8 mm. high; rays 10-15 mm. long, yellow; disk-corollas purplish; pappus none.

Habitat:  The actual habitat of this hybrid is unknown, however, it presumably would thrive in places where both E. farinosa and E. californica grow together. The habitat for each plant is as follows: Coastal bluffs and open or bushy slopes below 2000 ft.; Coastal Sage Scrub, Chaparral; Santa Barbara Co. to L. Calif., inland to w. Riverside and w. San Bernardino cos.; Santa Catalina, San Clemente, Santa Cruz ids. for E. californica and dry stony slopes below 3000 ft.; Creosote Bush Scrub, Coastal Sage Scrub; Death V. region s. through e. Mojave Desert to Colo. Desert; w. Riverside and San Bernardino cos., coastal San Diego Co.; to Utah, L. Calif., Mex.  for E. farinosa.  As can be seen from the habitats, the overlapping range is large.  (my comment). Feb.-June.

Name:  Named for Christopher Encel a German authority on oak galls in 1577.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 157).  The species names are described with E. californica and E. farinosa.

General:  Occasional in the study area, having been introduced in Big Canyon and along the new horse and jogging path in Santa Ana Heights.  In the Santa Ana Heights area, there is a complete gradation of hydrids which vary from E. californicus to E. farinosa.  The specimen photographed came from Big Canyon where the large variations did not exist.  (my comments).      Fred Roberts noted that the major differences in this plant from E. farinosa are the pubescent peduncles and purple disk fls.  Without the pubescent peduncles this plant would probably be E. farinosa var. phenicodonta.  (my comment).      Encelia species have been known to cause dermatitis.  (Fuller 370).      About 14 species from sw. U.S. to Mex., Peru, Chile, Galapagos Ids.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 157).       Var. phenicodonta is included with E. farinosa in the 1993 Jepson Manual.  (Hickman, Ed. 249).

Text Ref:  Munz, Flora So. Calif. 158.

Photo Ref:  May 1 87 # 11,12,13.

Identity: by F. Roberts.  

First Found: May 1987.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 315.  

Donated plant specimen to UC Riverside in 2004.

Last edit. 7/30/05.

                                               May Photo