About Layia pentachaeta A.Gray
Layia pentachaeta A.Gray is an annual herb. It produces a thick stem that can grow up to 1 meter (3 feet) tall, though it often stays shorter. The stem is covered in glandular hairs, and the exudate from these hairs gives the plant a sharp, lemon-like scent. Its thin leaves range in shape from linear to lance-shaped; lower leaves are lobed and reach a maximum length of approximately 11 centimeters. The plant's flower head holds white or yellow ray florets, along with yellow disc florets that have yellow anthers. Its fruit is an achene, and achenes produced by disc florets often have a white, bristly pappus. This wildflower is endemic to California. It grows in a variety of habitats in the central region of the state, ranging from the Sierra Nevada (including its foothills and the High Sierra) to the Tehachapi Mountains, the San Joaquin Valley, and the central Inner California Coast Ranges.
