Isocoma menziesii (Hook. & Arn.) G.L.Nesom
Family: Asteraceae
Variable Jimmyweed
Isocoma menziesii image
G. F. Hrusa  

Herbage glabrous or villlous, sometimes stipitate-glandular, not resinous. Leaf blades obovate to spatulate or oblanceolate to nearly linear, 5-40 mm, margins entire or toothed to lobed. Involucres (6-)7-9 × 6-8 mm. Phyllary apices green to yellowish, not aristate, sometimes with weakly developed, non- or weakly spinulose projection, gland-dotted, without resin pockets or pockets small, weakly developed (var. decumbens and var. menziesii). Florets (15-)18-25(-28); corollas 5-7 mm. Cypsela ribs not forming apical horns.

FNA 2006, Jepson 2012

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Subshrub

General: Herbaceous perennials, to 2 m tall, stems mat-forming or prostrate to erect, branched from the base or rarely above, herbage stipitate-glandular or glabrous to villous, sometimes minutely scabrous, and yellow-tan, gray, gray-green, or red-brown in color.

Leaves: Alternate, ovate or obovate to widely spatulate (spoon-shaped), or oblanceolate to nearly linear, 5-45 mm long and 5-15 mm wide, margins entire, toothed, or pinnately lobed, surfaces gland-dotted, sometimes gummy-resinous, light to dark gray-green, blades sometimes clustered in axils.

Flowers: Yellow with dark orange-resinous veins, florets 15-28 in discoid heads, corollas 5-7 mm long, with narrowly cylindric tubes abruptly expanded into a larger cylindric throat and short, erect, deltate lobes, these elongating at maturity, unequal, with outer lobes prominently bent or leaning outward and abruptly enlarged, involucres obconic, 6-9 mm long and 6-8 mm wide, phyllaries yellow-white with green tips, apices not aristate, sometimes with weakly developed with a non- or weakly spinulose projection, surfaces gland-dotted, without resin pockets or if present pockets small and weakly developed, receptacles flat, without palea, style branch appendages triangular, infloresences in loose to tight cyme-like clusters, these borne at branch tips or in flat-topped or panicle-like clusters.

Fruits: Cypselae (achenes) light tan, narrowly obconic, with 5-11 ribs, (ribs not forming apical horns), surfaces covered with fine, silky hairs. Pappus in 1-2 series, white to tan-white and silky-hairy with hairs white, yellow, tan, or light red-tan, 3-5 mm long

Ecology: Unknown.

Distribution: California; Mexico.

Ethnobotany: Specific uses for this species are unknown, but other species in the genus have uses.

Synonyms: Pyrrocoma menziesii

Editor: LCrumbacher2012

Etymology: Isocoma comes from the Greek meaning "an equal hair-tuft," and referring to the flowers, while menziesii is named after Archibald Menzies (1754-1842), Scottish botanist and surgeon.

Isocoma menziesii image
G. F. Hrusa  
Isocoma menziesii image
Dean Wm. Taylor  
Isocoma menziesii image
Robert A. Hamilton  
Isocoma menziesii image
Wynn Anderson  
Isocoma menziesii image
Wynn Anderson