Scale Broom Seeds|Lepidospartum squamatum|California Broomsage|California Native Plant|Native Wildflower|Gardening|Organic|Southwestern|Rare

Lepidospartum squamatum is a species of flowering shrub in the daisy family known by the common name California broomsage. It is native to the mountains, valleys, and deserts of southern California and Baja California, where it grows in sandy, gravelly soils in a number of habitat types, especially dry alluvial habitat such as arroyos. It is considered an indicator species for the alluvial scrub habitat type in this region. It is also known from neighboring Arizona. This is a large shrub often exceeding two meters in height which takes a spreading, rounded form, its branches coated in woolly fibers and stubby leaves no more than 3 millimeters long. The flower cluster is a single flower head or small cluster of up to 5 heads at the ends of branches. The heads are discoid, bearing many yellow tubular disc florets and no ray florets. The fruit is a narrow achene a few millimeters long with a dull white to light brown pappus on top. As the fruits mature and the flower parts fall away the flower cluster takes on a cottony look due to all the pappi. Packet will contain 20 + seeds.