Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

The cheerful yellow and red flowers of the Spring Madia brighten up the landscape and attract bees and butterflies to the garden. Birds enjoy the seeds after blooming. Spring Madia is an annual wildflower in the sunflower family. This plant is also known as tarweed because of its scent, which is pleasant and reminiscent of pineapple.

The flowers bloom from summer to fall. They look their best in the morning and curl up in the afternoon. Spring Madia does well in open, sunny places. It is an easy-to-grow, low-moisture plant that adapts to different soil types.

Plant type

Annual herb

Size

4 - 6 ft Tall
1 - 2 ft Wide

Growth rate

Fast

Fragrance

Pleasant

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Color

Yellow, Red

Flowering season

Summer, Fall

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Water

Low

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to -10° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil description

Adaptable.
Soil PH: 5.5 - 7.8

Sunset Zones

5, 6, 7*, 8*, 9*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Site type

Meadows, openings in woodlands or chaparral, other open, grassy places

Plant communities

Alpine Fell-Fields, Lodgepole Forest, Red Fir Forest, Subalpine Forest, Yellow Pine Forest

Compatible with virtually any native trees, shrubs, and herbs

Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 3 likely

Confirmed Likely

Epiblema deverrae

Spotted Straw Sun Moth

Heliothis phloxiphaga

Small Heliothodes Moth

Heliothodes diminutivus