| Madia elegans | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Madia |
| Species: | M. elegans |
| Binomial name | |
| Madia elegans D.Don ex Lindl. |
|
Madia elegans is a species of flower in the daisy family. It is generally known as the common madia, but there are several subspecies known by various common names.
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The Madia elegans plant is native to western North America, but it is robust and can grow in disturbed areas there.
Madia elegans has a showy flower which varies in appearance across subspecies and even within subspecies. In general it is a bright yellow daisy-like bloom with numerous thin ray flowers and several central disk flowers. It may be solid lemon yellow or have a center of a different color, from white to maroon. The strongly scented flower head grows at the end of a slender green stem. The ray flowers curl up during the daytime, opening in the late afternoon and staying open all night until mid morning. Its fruits are achenes which were historically used as food by Native Americans, including the Pomo and Miwok, who baked them or ground them into flour.
The foliage exudes a fragrant oil, hence the common name of tarweed.