Pectis angustifolia is a lovely, minute plant growing from one to twenty centimeters tall.  The plants shown on this page are all less than two centimeters!  Pectis angustifolia is not a common plant in the Four Corners area, but when it is present it is easy to notice because its flowers are in such a mass of bright yellow and because it occurs on bare, open sands. 

Notice several characteristics in the close up photograph: the bulging phyllaries in even rows under the ray flowers and the small, comb-like, single teeth at the widening part of the leaf base.  The teeth gave rise to the genus name "Pectis" from the Latin for "comb".

Unfortunately websites do not allow us (yet?) to smell the wonderful lemon scent of this plant.

Linnaeus named this genus in 1753 and John Torrey named this species in 1827 from a specimen collected by Edwin James.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Pectis angustifolia