Taxon Report

Psilocarphus elatior (Gray) Gray

tall woolly-marbles

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Psilocarphus elatior, commonly known as tall woolly-marbles, is a annual herb in the Asteraceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Meadows and seeps, Valley and foothill grassland, and Vernal pools, growing at elevations from 915 to 1610 meters. Psilocarphus elatior is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Psilocarphus elatior (Gray) Gray
Common Name:	tall woolly-marbles
Family:	Asteraceae
Element Code:	PDAST7R020
USDA Plants Symbol:	PSEL
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: May-Aug	May-Aug
Elevation:	915-1610 (3000-5280)
General Habitats:	Meadows and seeps, Valley and foothill grassland, Vernal pools
Microhabitat:	Vernally Mesic
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G4
State Rank:	S2S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


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

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Modoc (MOD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Dorris Reservoir (4112044), Washington Mtn. (4112048)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Probably more widespread in northern CA; need information. Possibly a variant of P. brevissimus var. brevissimus. See Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 8:652 (1873) 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 25 October 2025].