About Madia exigua (Sm.) Greene
Madia exigua is an aromatic annual herb that can reach up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) in height. Its slender stem is covered with hairs, large stalked resin glands, and sometimes bristles. Its rough-haired leaves grow up to 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) long. The inflorescence is an array of clustered flower heads borne on thin, stiff peduncles. Each flower head has an involucre of phyllaries shaped like a top. These phyllaries are covered in knobby yellow resin glands. At the tip of the inflorescence there are minute yellowish ray florets, each under one millimeter long, alongside one or two yellow disc florets. The fruit produced by this species is an achene that lacks a pappus. Madia exigua is native to western North America, ranging from British Columbia to Baja California. It grows in many types of dry habitat located outside of desert regions.
