Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Rafinesquia californica is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names California chicory and California plumeseed. It looks like a weedy daisy, bearing heads of elegant white-petaled flowers. The petals are often striped with lavender or pink on the undersides, a feature most noticeable when the flowers are closed. Each fruit has a pappus of stiff white or light brown hairs. It is among the first plants to sprout up in areas recently cleared by fire. Indeed, the seeds germinate more readily in the presence of burned wood. It is native to most of the western United States as far north as Oregon.

Plant type

Annual herb

Size

5 ft Tall

Calscape icon
Color

Pink, White, Lavender

Sun

Full Sun

Site type

Shrubby slopes, open woods, deserts

Plant communities

Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, Creosote Bush Scrub, Joshua Tree Woodland

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 2 likely

Confirmed Likely

Heliolonche carolus

Heliolonche pictipennis