Flower profile
Telegraphweed
Heterotheca grandiflora
Telegraphweed is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In California it's most often seen in bloom in January–December.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: California
Quick look
Heterotheca grandiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name silk-grass goldenaster or telegraphweed. It is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, but it can be found in other areas as an introduced species, such as Hawaii. It is often a roadside weed even where it is native.
- It belongs to the Asteraceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, biennial, perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 5 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to California. NatureServe
- In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–December. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 14,062 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #53 among the 110 flowers on our California list. iNaturalist
Telegraphweed gift ideas
Handmade telegraphweed gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Telegraphweed art print
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Telegraphweed greeting card
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Telegraphweed mug
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Telegraphweed earrings
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Telegraphweed embroidery pattern
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Telegraphweed sticker
When does it bloom?
In California, most flowering sightings come in January–December.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- California
- Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in California. CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records telegraphweed in 5 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah.
California counties with USDA records: Alameda, Amador, Butte, Contra Costa, Fresno, Glenn, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yuba.
More California flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile HEGR7.
- iNaturalist, Heterotheca grandiflora: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Heterotheca grandiflora (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- California: California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026).
- California: California noxious weed species (3 CCR § 4500).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Heterotheca grandiflora (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Dan Horowitz via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.