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
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