Rare native shrub spotted and verified in LA County hills
iNaturalist: chloroxiphite
Native Plants
If you hike the chaparral slopes around Los Angeles, this silvery-leaved shrub is one of the native plants holding that fragile hillside ecosystem together, and every verified sighting helps track where it still thrives.
Someone out exploring in Los Angeles County spotted a silver rock-lettuce plant, a native California shrub with silvery leaves and lettuce-like foliage, and logged it on iNaturalist with photos. Other users reviewed the observation and confirmed the identification, making it official research-grade data that scientists can actually use to map where the species grows.
Key Findings
Observation classified as 'research-grade' after community identification review
Species: Stephanomeria cichoriacea (silver rock-lettuce), a California-native chaparral shrub
Location confirmed as Los Angeles County, California, US
chevron_right Technical Summary
A confirmed sighting of silver rock-lettuce, a shrubby wildflower native to Southern California, was logged in Los Angeles County and verified by other naturalists as research-grade data.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
silver rock-lettuce (Stephanomeria cichoriacea) observed in Los Angeles County, US-CA, US
Research-grade observation of silver rock-lettuce in Los Angeles County, US-CA, US.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Stephanomeria cichoriacea is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae; it is known by the common names chicoryleaf wirelettuce and silver rock-lettuce. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the coastal mountain ranges as far north as Monterey County, but especially in southe...