small wirelettuce

Stephanomeria exigua is an annual herb with a large taproot and stems that are single or freely branching. The leaves are linear to oblanceolate, with pinnately lobed margins, and wither by the time of flowering. The plant produces small flower heads in paniculiform arrays or clusters. The cypselae are light tan to dark brown, with smooth to tuberculate surfaces and plumose pappi. It is found in a wide range of habitats across the western U.S. and parts of northern Mexico. It blooms from mid-spring to late summer and is thought to be the parent species of the endangered S. malheurensis.