Acanthoscyphus parishii var. cienegensis

Cienega seca oxytheca, Cienega Seca oxytheca, Cienega Seca oxytheca

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Cienega seca oxytheca is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native annual found in eastern San Bernardino Mountains near Cienega Seca and Coon creeks in sandy habitats at elevations of 2,100 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces delicate white flowers with distinctive involucre awns 4 to 5 millimeters long. Growing as a small plant 5 to 40 centimeters tall, it develops slender stems with sparse branching. Its leaves range from 1 to 3.5 centimeters long, with two distinctive bracts supporting the flower clusters. The plant's ivory-colored awns and compact sandy habitat make it a unique and specialized annual of high-elevation desert environments.

Habitat: Sand

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: 2100-2500 m

Bioregions: e SnBr (Cienega Seca, Coon creeks).

California counties: San Bernardino

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.