saw-toothed goldenbush
Hazardia squarrosa
The plant is covered in a sticky, resinous secretion that acts as a natural sunscreen, conserving water and deterring hungry insects.
- Scientific name
- Hazardia squarrosa
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Asterales › Asteraceae › Hazardia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and dry rocky hillsides
- Diet
- Photosynthetic (sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and soil nutrients)
- Range
- California, USA, Baja California, Mexico
- Size
- 30 to 100 cm (1 to 3 feet) tall
- Lifespan
- 10 to 30 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Urban development, altered wildfire regimes, and invasive weed encroachment
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. This plant is safe to approach and touch, though its saw-toothed leaves can be stiff and scratchy. Avoid trampling the surrounding fragile chaparral soil. No special medical action is needed if brushed against, but wash skin with soap and water if the sticky resin causes mild irritation.
Hazardia squarrosa is a North American species of shrub in the daisy family known by the common name sawtooth goldenbush . It is native to California in the United States and Baja California in Mexico.
Photo: Stickpen, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), PD, via iNaturalist
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