Santa Susana tarweed is a leafy perennial shrub rare in California growing to 3' high and up to 10' wide.  It is very resinous and fragrant, and has numerous stiff, ± straight leafy stems arising from the base.  The stem and leaves are somewhat rough and covered with short bristly hairs.  The small, crowded leaves are alternate, entire margined, linear and slightly thickened.  The heads are mostly solitary at the ends of long peduncles.  There are generally eight yellow ray flowers and 18-23 staminate disk flowers, also yellow, and with a pappus of 8-12 bristles.  The yellow anthers are an easy way to differentiate this species from H. fasciculata, which has black anthers. It blooms from July to October, and may be found in open, rocky areas in chaparral at only a few locations in the Santa Susana and Santa Monica Mts.  These pictures were taken in Solstice Canyon and Charmlee County Park.

Click here for Latin name derivations: 1) Hemizonia  2) minthornii.
Pronunciation: hem-i-ZONE-ee-a mint-THORN-ee-eye.
Click here for Botanical Term Meanings.