Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Microseris laciniata is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name cutleaf silverpuffs. It is native to the western United States from Washington to northern California and Nevada, where it grows in forest and grassland habitat. It is a perennial herb growing up to a meter tall with a branching stem. The plentiful leaves are 10 to 50 centimeters long and variable in shape, with smooth, toothed, or lobed edges. The flower cluster is borne on a tall, erect or curving peduncle. The flower head may be 3 centimeters long when in bud and wide when in bloom, bearing up to 100 or more long yellow ray florets. The fruit is an achene with a gray or brown body a few millimeters long. At the tip of the body is a large pappus made up of 5 to over 20 long, hairy scales, each of which may exceed one centimeter in length.

Plant type

Perennial herb

Size

3 ft Tall

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Ease of care

Moderate

Site type

Rocky slopes and open places

Plant communities

Mixed Evergreen Forest, Northern Oak Woodland, Yellow Pine Forest