Rayjacksonia Species, Houston Camphor Daisy, Houston Machaeranthera, Tansy Aster

This is a threatened and endangered species found only in Houston and Galveston counties in Texas. It is a tap-rooted annual member in th...Read Moree sunflower family with golden-yellow camphor-scented flowers occurring in October and November. It can grow waist high in garden settings where it vigorously reseeds itself; but in harsh, natural settings it may grow only a few inches high.

This plant naturally occurs on the pimple or mima mounds formed from Pleistocene alluvial deposits on the ancient Katy Prairie. These mima or pimple mounds are like naturally occuring small raised areas having better slightly drainage than the surrounding Katy Prairie which is seasonally/annually classified as a wetlands. This plant is threatened due to massive urban encroachment and the levelling of the ancient Katy Prairie for agricultural interests (primarily rice farming).

This plant is currently being grown and preserved at the Mercer Arboretum's Endangered Species Garden in Houston Texas.