Taxon Report

Pentachaeta aurea Nutt. ssp. allenii Keil

Allen's pentachaeta

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Pentachaeta aurea ssp. allenii, commonly known as Allen's pentachaeta, is a annual herb in the Asteraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Coastal scrub (openings), and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 75 to 520 meters. Pentachaeta aurea ssp. allenii is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Pentachaeta aurea Nutt. ssp. allenii Keil
Common Name:	Allen's pentachaeta
Family:	Asteraceae
Element Code:	PDAST6X021
USDA Plants Symbol:	PEAUA
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Mar-Jun	Mar-Jun
Elevation:	75-520 (245-1705)
General Habitats:	Coastal scrub, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G4T1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	added to 1B.1 on 2008-05-08

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	8
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	1
Unknown (U)	7

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Orange (ORA)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Black Star Canyon (3311776), Dana Point (3311746), El Toro (3311766), Laguna Beach (3311757), San Juan Capistrano (3311756), Tustin (3311767)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	1	13 %
ORV activity	1	12%
Other	1	12%

Notes



Known from fewer than 20 occurrences in Orange County.
Threats:
Threatened by development, habitat alteration, and vehicles. Possibly threatened by non-native plants.
Taxonomy:
Not in The Jepson Manual (1993). See Madrono 54(4):343-344 (2007) for original description.

Selected References

CRPR List Addition on 2008-05-08

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 7 November 2025].