The only species in the monotypic genus Achyrachaena is the annual herb Achyrachaena mollis, which bears the common name blow-wives. The genus name is both singular and plural. The plant is common in low-elevation hills, higher mountains, valleys, and grasslands across California from the coast to the Sierra Nevada, north into southern Oregon, and south into northern Baja California, Mexico. Achyrachaena mollis has some invasive potential in introduced locations, but is not recorded as one of the more troublesome weeds.