About Chaenactis santolinoides Greene
Chaenactis santolinoides Greene is a clumpy or mat-forming perennial herb that reaches a maximum height of around 25 centimeters, or 10 inches. Its stems are erect, covered in a coat of white woolly hairs that thin out as the stems age. The leaves are several centimeters long, arranged in a crowded basal rosette. Each leaf is composed of many very small reduced lobes that form a solid mass, giving the leaf a somewhat cylindrical shape. The inflorescence bears one to three flower heads held out on a tall, erect peduncle. Each flower head is lined with hairy, glandular phyllaries, and contains many white or pink flowers that have protruding anthers. The fruit this plant produces is an achene with a pappus. This plant is endemic to California, where it occurs in the Transverse Ranges and the southern Sierra Nevada. It grows in open, exposed high mountain habitats, including scree and rocky slopes. Its overall range extends from Tulare County to northwestern Riverside County, with isolated populations located in Mono County.
