Taxon Report

Townsendia condensata D.C. Eaton

cushion townsendia

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Townsendia condensata, commonly known as cushion townsendia, is a perennial herb in the Asteraceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Alpine boulder and rock field, and Subalpine coniferous forest (gravelly), growing at elevations from 2865 to 3675 meters. Townsendia condensata is ranked 2B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Townsendia condensata D.C. Eaton
Common Name:	cushion townsendia
Family:	Asteraceae
Element Code:	PDAST9C040
USDA Plants Symbol:	TOCO2
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Jul-Aug	Jul-Aug
Elevation:	2865-3675 (9400-12060)
General Habitats:	Alpine boulder and rock field, Subalpine coniferous forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.3
Global Rank:	G4
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.3 to 2B.3 on 2013-06-12

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	10
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	8

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Mono (MNO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bodie (3811921), Dome Hill (3811931), Mt. Barcroft (3711852), Mt. Patterson (3811943)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	4
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	4	40 %
Erosion/runoff	1	10%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	10%
Grazing	1	10%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	10%

Notes



See American Naturalist 8:213 (1874) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 18 November 2025].