Acleisanthes nevadensis

Desert wing-fruit, desert wing-fruit, desert wing-fruit

Family: Nyctaginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1

Desert wing-fruit is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) California native annual found in the northeastern Kingston Range and southeastern Inyo County in dry, rocky desert areas at elevations around 1,250 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces white flowers with a green perianth tube in delicate, subtle blooms. Growing with prostrate to erect stems less than 30 centimeters tall, it has soft white hairs that spread both appressed and divergently. Its leaves are ovate to round, carried on petioles 5 to 20 millimeters long, with a soft, delicate structure. The fruit features distinctive wings approximately 2 millimeters wide, giving the plant its evocative common name.

Habitat: Dry, rocky areas

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: 1250 m

Bioregions: DMtns (ne Kingston Range, se Inyo Co.)

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