Heterotheca subaxillaris – Camphorweed

Heterotheca subaxillaris - Camphorweed, Camphor Weed, Telegraph Plant, Golden Aster

Heterotheca subaxillaris - Camphorweed, Camphor Weed, Telegraph Plant, Golden Aster

Plant Name

Scientific Name: Heterotheca subaxillaris

Synonyms: Chrysopsis scabra, Heterotheca lamarckii, H. latifolia, H. psammophila, H. scabra

Common Names: Camphorweed, Camphor Weed, Telegraph Plant, Golden Aster

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual

Growth Habit: Herb/Forb

Arizona Native Status: Native

Habitat: Desert, Upland. This weedy wildflower grows in disturbed areas and is a common roadside plant.

Flower Color: Yellow rays, orange-yellow disks

Flowering Season: Spring, Summer, Fall. The peak bloom time is in the late summer and early fall after the summer monsoon rains.

Height: To 5 feet (1.5 m) tall

Description: The flowers are loosely clustered at the tips of the upper branched stems. The individual flower heads are 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide and ringed with slender, overlapping, yellow rays. The flowers are followed by fluffy, tan seed heads. The leaves mostly line the lower part of the unbranched main stems and are green, hairy, sessile, and rounded to egg-shaped. The stems are green, hairy, upright, unbranched below, and well-branched above, giving this plant a very distinctive shape.

Special Characteristics

Foul-smelling – The foliage reeks of camphor when handled or crushed and can leave the smell on your hands.

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae – Aster family
Genus: Heterotheca Cass. – false goldenaster
Species: Heterotheca subaxillaris (Lam.) Britton & Rusby – camphorweed

More About This Plant

Arizona County Distribution Map