This flowering plant of the family Asteraceae has been listed as an endangered species by the U.S. federal government as well as the state of California.

[2] Like the other 13 species members of its genus, Eriophyllum latilobum presents generally alternate leaves ranging from entire to nearly compound.

Eriophyllum latilobum grows to 90 centimeters in height on erect woolly stems and produces bright yellow flowers.

Eriophyllum latilobum occurs primarily in shaded moist positions on steep grassy or sparsely wooded slopes of serpentine soil.

The remaining colonies of San Mateo County consist of several hundred plants scattered along a two and one half mile length of Crystal Springs Road.

The San Mateo County colony is subject to damage by dumping of residential garden debris and downhill surface runoff of pesticides and fertilizers from homes above the steep-sloping habitat along Crystal Springs Road.