Malacothrix indecora is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Santa Cruz Island desertdandelion.

[1] It grows on the bluffs and rocky coastal grasslands of the islands.

Like many Channel Islands endemics, this plant is naturally limited in distribution and has been threatened by the presence of destructive introduced mammals, in this case, feral pigs.

This is a mat-forming annual herb which spreads low to the ground no more than about 10 centimeters high.

The inflorescence is an array of flower heads lined with oval-shaped phyllaries.