Encelia farinosa

Brittlebush is commonly a small perennial shrub, 2-3 ft. tall, 3 feet wide with greenish-gray to whitish-gray leaves and 2-3 inch yellow daisy flowers. In the Mojave desert this bush makes the hills come alive in spring with bouquets of daisies. Brittlebush has survived a -8 F (-21C) in the desert, BUT, the ground only froze less than an inch deep and only for a couple of hours . It does not appear to be hardy to 20 F soil temperature for any length of time. In a Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Riverside, San Diego or other southern California garden Brittlebush will grow to about 3-4 feet high and be covered with flowers in early summer. Butterflies like the flowers and birds like the seed. Grows in arroyo in creosote woodland with Physalis crassifolia, Sphaeralcea ambigua, Salazaria mexicana, Xylorhiza tortifolia, Atriplex hymenelytra, Nicotiana obtusifolia, Peucephyllum schottii, Larrea tridentata, and Cucurbita palmata.