Telegraph weed is a tall, erect annual to short-lived perennial growing to 6' high with several stout, hairy stems simple below and branching above.  The inflorescence is thickly glandular-pubescent and heavily scented of camphor, as is its relative H. subaxillaris or Camphor weed.  The leaves are alternate, villous-sticky, ovate to oblanceolate, and somewhat serrate-margined.  The lower leaves have petioles and ear-like basal lobes which clasp the stem, and the leaves become less hairy and more glandular higher on the stem, and the upper leaves are sessile.  The radiate flowering heads are in panicles on short stems with 25-40 yellow ray flowers and 30-75 slender yellow disk flowers.  Telegraph weed grows in many plant habitats and communities in sandy soils, disturbed areas and dry coastal valleys in chaparral, sage scrub and oak woodland, below 3000', and blooming throughout most of the year.  These pictures were taken in a variety of different locations from the Santa Monicas to San Diego Co.

Click here for Latin name derivations: 1) Heterotheca 2) grandiflora.
Pronunciation: het-er-o-THEE-ka gran-di-FLOR-a.
Click here for Botanical Term Meanings.