Heterotheca sessiliflora var. echioides (Benth.) Semple is the most widely distributed of the races within the species and generally occurs at lower elevations except in the the Tehachapi Mts. It has numerous hispid-strigose hairs on its stems and leaves giving shoots a whitish halo. It is the "glue" holding the complex together as single species. It hybridizes with var. camphorata and var. fastigiata, var. sanjacintensis, and possibly var. sessiliflora.
