Smooth Tidy Tips (Layia chrysanthemoides)

Layia chrysanthemoides is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name smooth tidytips, or smooth layia. It is endemic to California, where it lives in several types of habitat along the coast an in inland hills and valleys. This is an annual herb producing an erect, nonhairy stem to a maximum height near half a meter. The leaves are linear or lance-shaped with prickly or fuzzy edges. The lower leaves may be lobed and grow up to about 10 centimeters long. The flower heads are cups of hairy-edged phyllaries with a fringe of white-tipped golden ray florets around a tightly packed center of yellow disc florets with purple anthers. The fruit is an achene; fruits on the disc florets often have a white bristly pappus. From Calscape.

Grower: Heritage Growers

Other Names Used: 

Family: Asteraceae

Life Cycle: Annual

Plant Type: Herb

Sun Exposure: Full

Bloom Period: Spring

Bloom Color(s): Yellow, White

Plant Height: 6-24 inches tall

Plant Width: 6-24 inches wide

California Regions:

• San Francisco Bay Area
• North Coast
• Central Valley
• Central California Coast
• Southern Coast
• Southern California Inland

Ecological Benefits:

• Attracts pollinators, birds, wildlife

Ecological Functions:

• Grows in Containers
• Groundcover

Habitat Type:

• Chaparral
• Valley Grassland
• Northern Coastal Scrub
• Oak Woodland 
• Yellow Pine Forest

Human Uses/Cautions: 

Skill Level: Beginner

Seed Pretreatment: None