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Malacothrix squalida
Also called Island Malacothrix, Santa Cruz Desert Dandelion, Island Desert Dandelion
Malacothrix squalida is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Santa Cruz desertdandelion. It is endemic to Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands, two of the eight Channel Islands of California, where it grows on rocky seaside bluffs and cliffs. The plant is very limited in distribution and today exists only in degraded habitat on these two small islands. It was last collected from Santa Cruz Island in 1968, and two populations were noted on Anacapa Island in 1998; in drought years there may be no plants at all. It became a federally listed endangered species in 1997. This is an annual herb growing a hairless, waxy stem 20 to 30 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are sharply lobed. The inflorescence is an array of flower heads lined with oval-shaped phyllaries. The ray florets are 1 to 2 centimeters and light yellow in color.
California desertdandelion · Cleveland's desertdandelion · Snake's head · Woolly desertdandelion · Smooth desertdandelion · Dunedelion · Santa Cruz Island desertdandelion · Junak's desertdandelion · Cliff desertdandelion · Sowthistle desertdandelion · Stebbins' desertdandelion · Desertdandelion
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Malacothrix squalida by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
