Flower profile

Telegraphweed

Heterotheca grandiflora

Telegraphweed (Heterotheca grandiflora) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly January–November across the U.S.

Native to California

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–November.

5states where USDA records it

14,062CA sightings*

14,276U.S. sightings*

*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.
From Wikipedia's article Heterotheca grandiflora, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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–November. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 14,062 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #53 among the 178 flowers on our California list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

In California, most flowering sightings come in January–November.

Flowering records by month in California (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,700 records)

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?

For peopleNot well documented

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.

For petsNot well documented

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.

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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.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Hawaii: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Heterotheca floribunda.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 47 counties across 5 states; the most are in California (37), Arizona (4), Hawaii (4).

Other Heterotheca on Bloomipedia (3): Camphorweed, Hairy false goldenaster, Stiffleaf false goldenaster.

More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.

More California flowers

Common yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in CA: April–July

California brittlebush

Encelia californica

Native

🌼 Blooms in CA: January–April

Brittlebush

Encelia farinosa

Native

🌼 Blooms in CA: January–April

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.