Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Menzies' Goldenbush (Isocoma menziesii) is a shrub that blooms when most other flowers are finished.  It flowers in summer and fall, with many thick clusters of yellow flowers standing upright from the stems. The erect branching stems are generally hairy, and vary in color from gray-green to reddish-brown. The leaves may also be hairy.  It grows at a moderate rate up to 3 feet  tall.


This is a tough accent plant that likes full sun and prefers well-draining sandy or rocky soil.


Numerous insects, including butterflies and moths, are attracted to it.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

2 - 3 ft Tall
5 ft Wide

Form

Spreading

Dormancy

Summer Semi-deciduous

Calscape icon
Color

Yellow

Flowering season

Summer, Spring, Fall

Special uses

Groundcover

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Water

Very Low

Summer irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Ease of care

Easy

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil description

Typically sandy.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.5

Site type

Coastal bluffs and other sandy places near the coast and extending to some inland canyons and slopes

Plant communities

Coastal Sage Scrub, Coastal Salt Marsh, Coastal Strand, Wetland-Riparian

Use with low growing coastal species such as Verbena (Abronia spp.), Sagebrush (Artemisia californica or pycnocephala), Morningglory (Calystegia macrostegia or soldanella), Primrose (Camissoniopsis spp.), Cobweb Thistle (Cirsium occidentale), Clarkia spp., Seacliff Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium), Western Wallflower (Erysimum capitatum), Lupine (Lupinus spp.), and Cardinal Catchfly (Silene laciniata)

Bats
Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 7 likely

Confirmed Likely

Orange Tortrix Moth

Argyrotaenia franciscana

Dejongia californicus

Diastictis sperryorum

Sunflower Moth

Homoeosoma electella