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Taxon  Report  
Xylorhiza cognata  (H. M. Hall) T. J. Watson
Mecca aster,   Mecca woodyaster
Xylorhiza cognata is a perennial herb that is native to California, and endemic (limited) to California.
also called Machaeranthera cognata
California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~176 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Xylorhiza
Family: Asteraceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Communities: Creosote Bush Scrub
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS + POWO
Alternate Names:
JEF + PLANTSAster cognatus
PLANTSAster standleyi
JEF + CNPS + PLANTSMachaeranthera cognata
PLANTSXylorhiza standleyi
Information about  Xylorhiza cognata from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (XYCO2)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Limited Range: The shrub is endemic to the Colorado Desert within southern California, in Riverside County and Imperial County.[2] Most known populations are in the Mecca Hills and Indio Hills, located on the southeast side of the Coachella Valley and northeast of the Salton Sea.[2][4][1] (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 05/17/2025).