Allotropa virgata

Candystriped allotropa

Family: Ericaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Candystriped allotropa is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, high Cascade Range, and Sierra Nevada in oak, mixed, and conifer forests at elevations of 75 to 3,000 meters. Flowering from June to August, this unique non-green plant produces white flowers with striking red or maroon stripes, emerging erectly from the ground in raceme-like clusters. Growing without traditional stems or leaves, this rhizomatous plant has brittle roots and produces distinctive white flowers with five concave petals and maroon anthers that stand out against its pale coloration. Its unusual structure includes ten exserted stamens and a disk-like stigma, making it a remarkable parasitic plant that lacks typical green foliage. The plant produces a capsule fruit that dehisces from tip to base, containing many small fusiform seeds.

Habitat: Oak, mixed, or conifer forest

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 75-3000 m

Bioregions: NW, CaRH, SNH

California counties: Humboldt, Mono, Napa, Trinity, Mendocino, Tulare, Fresno, Del Norte, Siskiyou, Kern, El Dorado, Shasta, Sonoma, Mariposa, Placer, Plumas, Sierra, Tuolumne, Butte, Yuba, Nevada, Tehama, Lake

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