Encelia is a genus of the plant family Asteraceae. It consists of shrubs (and one geophyte) of arid environments in southwestern North America and western South America. All have n = 18 chromosomes. All the North American species are obligate outcrossers. In cultivation, the species readily form fertile F1 hybrids, F2s, and backcrosses, but in natural areas of sympatry, F2s and backcrosses are absent or rare. Encelia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the leaf miner Bucculatrix enceliae which feeds exclusively on Encelia farinosa.