Common Name: Carolina desert-chicory.  It’s also called false dandelion, Carolina false dandelion and Texas dandelion.

Latin Name:  Pyrrhopappus carolinianus

Family:  Asteraceae

Habit:  Carolina desert-chicory is an annual wildflower that grows to a height of 2 feet.

Leaves:   Mostly basal leaves.  Alternate, sessile, elliptic to oblanceolate with margins that may be lobed or toothed.

Flowers:  Bright yellow flowers appear in spring and summer.

Habitat:  Disturbed sites such as roadsides, lawns, pastures, fields, and fencerows.

Landscape:  It grows in full sun to part shade with average moisture.  It readily reseeds where it is planted and will come back each year from seed.

Range:  It is native to AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NE, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WV.

It grows in zones 5 to 9b.

Wildlife use: The flowers are a nectar source for many insects.  Small mammals eat the flower and seed buds.

It is considered edible but has milky sap so I would suggest researching how to prepare it first.  I’ve not tried it myself.