Taxon Report

Helianthus niveus (Benth.) Bdg. ssp. tephrodes (Gray) Heiser

Algodones Dunes sunflower

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Helianthus niveus ssp. tephrodes, commonly known as Algodones Dunes sunflower, is a perennial herb in the Asteraceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Desert dunes, growing at elevations from 50 to 100 meters. Helianthus niveus ssp. tephrodes is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Helianthus niveus (Benth.) Bdg. ssp. tephrodes (Gray) Heiser
Common Name:	Algodones Dunes sunflower
Family:	Asteraceae
Element Code:	PDAST4N0Z2
USDA Plants Symbol:	HENIT
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Sep-May	Sep-May
Elevation:	50-100 (165-330)
General Habitats:	Desert dunes
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G4T2
State Rank:	S1
State List:	CE
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_USDA
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	3
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	2

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Imperial (IMP), San Diego (SDG)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Grays Well (3211468), Grays Well NE (3211467), Acolita (3311512), Amos (3311513), Cactus (3211478), Clark Lake (3311633), Clyde (3211488), East of Acolita (3311511), Fonts Point (3311632), Glamis (3211581), Glamis NW (3211582), Glamis SE (3211571), Tortuga (3311523)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	1	33 %
ORV activity	1	33%
Other	1	33%

Notes



Threatened by vehicles. See Report on the U.S. and Mexican Boundary Survey, p. 90 (1859) by W. Emory for original description, and Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club 22(3):39-43 (1969) for revised nomenclature.
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 12 July 2025].