clustered tarweed

Deinandra fasciculata, the clustered tarweed, is an annual herb in the family Asteraceae native to California and adjacent Baja California, Mexico, where it grows in chaparral, coastal scrub, grasslands, and disturbed areas throughout much of the state at lower elevations. Like other tarweeds in the tribe Madieae, D. fasciculata produces glandular-hairy foliage that exudes a distinctive resinous or tar-like odor on warm days, a characteristic that gives the group its common name. The small yellow daisy-like flower heads are borne in clustered arrangements at branch tips. Tarweeds are summer-blooming species adapted to the dry Mediterranean climate of California, completing their life cycle after the wet winter season and persisting through summer drought as dormant seeds. Deinandra species provide nectar and pollen resources for native bees and other pollinators during the typically dry summer months when few other flowers are available. D. fasciculata has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN for conservation status but is considered a native California species of moderate conservation concern, as chaparral and grassland habitats face ongoing pressure from urban development and invasive grasses.