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Madia is a genus of annual or perennial usually aromatic with yellow flowers, in the tribe Madieae within the family Asteraceae. Molina, Giovanni Ignazio. 1782. Saggio sulla storia naturale del Chili 136–137, 354 text in Italian, footnotes in French and Latin
They are sometimes known as tarweeds. The species in this genus are native to western North America and southwestern South America. The name Madia is derived from native name ("Madi") for one of the members of the genus ( Madia sativa). Flora of North America, Vol. 21 Page 303, Madia Molina, Sag. Stor. Nat. Chili. 136, 354. 1782. Tarweeds derive their common name from the intense stickiness of the plant.
Several genera have been split from Madia, including, Anisocarpus, Harmonia, Jensia and Kyhosia. Species include:
Uses
Tarweeds produce abundant seed, are agreeably aromatic and oily, and form an important part of the small seeds used in pinole. Tarweed and other seeds in pinole formed a staple food in the diet of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Coast. In particular, the seeds of gumweed (Madia elegans) were among the most valued by the Miwok people for pinole. The Hupa, Cahuilla,
Diegueño, Chumash people, Costanoan, Kawaiisu, and Maidu tribes in California made pinole from Madiaspecies.
Ecology
The dark seeds (achenes) of tarweeds are used as food by many birds and small mammals, including mourning doves, quail, blackbirds, finches, Oregon juncos, California horned larks, western meadowlarks, American pipits, sparrows, towhees, chipmunks, ground squirrels, and mice. Cottontail rabbits, ground squirrels, and chipmunks eat the plants.
Taxonomy
Species
There are 11 accepted species of Madia. Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution maps
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