Eriophyllum staechadifolium

Common Name:
Lizard tail
Plant Type:
Evergreen shrub
Family:
Asteraceae (The Sunflower Family)
Geographic Origin:
California
California Native?:
Yes

Plant Size:
1-2 feet high
Landscape/Garden Uses:
Mixed plantings
Flowering Season:
Spring and summer

Flower Color:
Yellow
Exposure:
Full sun
Soils:
Well-drained soil

Suggested Irrigation:
Moderate to little watering
Estimated Hardiness:
Hardy to 10 degrees F. or less

You may have passed this shrub many times on visits to the coast, noticing it only for its dense habit and oddly bitter aroma. During the summer, however, its rather quiet character is transformed by generous displays of clustered yellow daisies. The plants are round to spreading in form, quite densely branched and up to 3 feet high. Stems are white-woolly but often nearly hidden by the foliage. The leaves are deeply divided and greyish at first, dark green when mature. It presents its golden half-inch flowers in dense, often many-flowered clusters, reminiscent of those of the yarrows. Plants of our material are probably hardy to 10 degrees F. or less but may be less tolerant of summer heat than the others described here.