Chaenactis Glabriuscula - Orcutt's Yellow Pincushion

One variety, Chaenactis glabriuscula var. orcuttiana — Orcutt's yellow pincushion, is a rare variety limited to the beaches and coastal dunes of Southern California and Baja, where it is threatened by development of its coastal habitat. Urban locations on the Santa Monica Bay, in the northern Ballona Wetlands near Venice and on the Bell Avenue Sand Dune Park recreation area's dune in Manhattan Beach, each had var. orcuttiana populations newly discovered in Spring 2010. The variety is listed by the California Native Plant Society as endemic to California dune ecosystems and significantly declining, with confirmed populations in parts of Ventura, Los Angeles and San Diego counties.