Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Golden yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum) is a flowering plant in the daisy family that is highly variable and can be an annual, a perennial or a small shrub.  Golden yarrow is part of a number of plant communities, including chaparral, coastal sage shrub, and southern oak woodland.

 It grows in large clumps of many erect stems, often as high as 2 feet high and 2 feet wide. It has lacy silver foliage.  At the top of each stem is a flower cluster of up to 30 flower heads, each bright golden yellow.  The long blooming season from winter to summer makes this plant welcome in the garden. Cutting the dead flower heads extends the bloom.

IT is not to be confused with Yellow Achillea which is a European import. Golden yarrow is very attractive to pollinators, especially butterflies.

Golden yarrow is a fast growing plant that takes full sun and well-draining soil. It needs very little water, a maximum of two times per month in summer once established.

Plant type

Shrub, Annual herb, Perennial herb

Size

2 ft Tall
2 ft Wide

Form

Upright Columnar

Growth rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Summer Semi-deciduous, Winter Deciduous

Calscape icon
Color

Yellow

Flowering season

Summer, Spring, Winter

Special uses

Deer resistant

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Very Low, Low

Summer irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 5° F

Soil drainage

Medium, Slow

Soil description

Tolerates clay soil. Tolerates sodic soil..
Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Maintenance

Deadhead to extend blooming

Propagation

By seeds or cuttings

Site type

Openings in woodlands or shrublands, in a variety of settings from coastal bluffs to inland hills and canyons

Plant communities

Chaparral, Foothill Woodland, Lodgepole Forest, Red Fir Forest, Subalpine Forest, Valley Grassland, Yellow Pine Forest

Purple Sage (Salvia leucophylla), Sticky Monkeyflower (Diplacus aurantiacus), California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), Deerweed (Acmispon glaber), Brittlebush (Encelia spp.), Sage (Salvia spp.), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), Oaks (Quercus spp.), Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta), Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa), Red Fir (Abies magnifica), Ceanothus species, Yucca species, native grasses, and Dudleya species

Bats
Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

1 confirmed and 6 likely

Confirmed Likely

Platyptilia williamsii

Geranium Plume Moth

Amblyptilia pica

Orange Tortrix Moth

Argyrotaenia franciscana

Phalonidia latipunctana