Leaves entire, ~0.4-1.2 cm long, almost cylindric in shape and cross-section, main leaves nearly at right angles to the stems and sometimes slightly recurved, with a dense fascicle of very slightly shorter leaves forming a vertical comb-like or fan-like structure in the axils of the main leaves. The leaves are medium green, sometimes a yellowish olive green and other times a bluish-grey green, very slightly hairy and a bit resinous or sticky. Inflorescence is a cyme or cluster of flowerheads, each composite flowerhead containing 8-14 yellow curled disk flowers and 2-6 bright yellow ray flowers ~0.4-0.5 cm long loosely distributed around the edges of the flowerhead. Flowerheads sit atop a cone-shaped involucre of overlapping bracts (~0.5-0.7 cm long and 0.5-0.6 cm wide). There are usually several flowerheads at the end of stems. Blooms from August to November. Fruit is a cylindrical achene (naked seed), with a pappus or fringe of whitish hairs (modified sepals) attached to its top to promote wind dispersal. The plant itself is a much branched shrub with the many branches both erect and almost parallel to one another, usually 0.25 -1.5 m tall. Favors sand dunes on and near the coast from the California North Coast through the Central Coast and the South Coast, and sandy areas inland from there in the Central Coast Ranges and interior valleys of Southern California.
Ericameria ericoides aka Happlopappus ericoides aka Diplopappus erocoides (Asteraceae aka Compositae): California goldenbush or mock heather or California heathgoldenrod
The development of this key was partially funded through the Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Program (Award #0703798) and through a course of re-assigned time provided by the CSULB Scholarly and Creative Activities Committee. Thanks also to the students in sections of biogeography, introductory physical geography, GDEP, and LSAMP for "test-driving" various editions of this key.