Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Constancea is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the aster family containing the single species Constancea nevinii (formerly Eriophyllum nevinii), which is known by the common name Nevin's woolly sunflower. It is endemic to three of the Channel Islands of California, where it grows in coastal scrub habitat. This is a small shrub or subshrub generally growing up to one or 1.5 meters tall, and taller when in erect form, with a branching, woolly stem. The whitish, woolly oval leaves may be up to 20 centimeters long and are divided into many narrow lobes with edges curled under. The flower cluster is a cluster of 10 to 50 or more small flower heads, each on a short peduncle. The flower head has a center of hairy, hairy, star-shaped yellow disc florets and a fringe of four to nine yellow ray florets each about 2 millimeters long. The fruit is an achene a few millimeters long with a small pappus at the tip.

Like many Channel Islands endemics, this plant was threatened with extinction by the herbivory of the feral goats living on the islands; the goats have since been removed and the plant is recovering. The yellow flowers contrast nicely with the silvery-gray foliage. This plant would be good for coastal gardens in southern California where temperatures are moderate and it would receive some fog drip.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

3 - 5 ft Tall
3 ft Wide

Form

Mounding

Growth rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

None

Calscape icon
Color

Yellow

Flowering season

Summer, Spring

Special uses

Deer resistant

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Very Low, Low

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Ease of care

Easy

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 30° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil description

Sandy with pebbles or cobbles.

Propagation

For propagating by seed: No treatment; leaching in running water for 24 hrs. before sowing may improve germination.

Site type

Coastal bluffs of the Channel Islands in coastal sage scrub

Plant communities

Coastal Sage Scrub

Use with other Channel Island plants such as Santa Cruz Island Ironwood, Island Live Oak, Island Bristleweed, Channel Island Tree Poppy, and Giant Coreopsis. Other coastal sage scrub companions include California Encelia, California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), and various Dudleya and cactus species.

Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 2 likely

Confirmed Likely

Orange Tortrix Moth

Argyrotaenia franciscana

Platyptilia williamsii