| Hulsea californica | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Hulsea |
| Species: | H. californica |
| Binomial name | |
| Hulsea californica Torr. & Gray |
|
Hulsea californica is a rare species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names San Diego alpinegold and San Diego sunflower. It is endemic to southern California, where it grows only in the Peninsular Ranges. Most of its occurrences are known from San Diego County. It grows in open areas such as forest clearings and occurs in the chaparral, especially after wildfire. This is a clumpy biennial herb producing greenish-gray to reddish erect stems of 40 centimeters to over a meter in height. The stems and foliage are hairy to densely woolly with thick coats of cobwebby fibers. Plants with thicker fibers are gray in color to nearly white. The abundant leaves are lance-shaped to scoop-shaped and up to 10 centimeters long, mostly without teeth along the edges but sometimes wavy or coarsely lobed. The flower head is large with woolly lance-shaped phyllaries each over a centimeter long. The center of the head is packed with a ring of deep yellow disc florets and fringed with yellow ray florets up to two centimeters long. The main threat to this species is invasive plant species.