Name:  Scale-broom (Lepidospartum squamatum)

Family:  Sunflower (Asteraceae)

Flowering Season:  August thru November

Notes:  A native shrub, its leaves appear as tiny "scales" on the branches during dry months.  This characteristic, along with the fact that Native Americans used the stick-like branches to make brooms, gave rise to its nickname.  The leaves grow into small ovals in the wet season.  Can reach 5 feet.

 

Photographs by Gabi McLean
Scale-broom (Lepidospartum squamatum)