Androstephium breviflorum

Small-flowered androstephium, Small-Flowered Androstephium, small-flowered androstephium, small-flowered androstephium

Family: Themidaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Small-flowered androstephium is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native perennial found in southern Mojave Desert and northern Sonoran Desert regions in open desert scrub with sandy to rocky soil at elevations of 100 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces white to light violet flowers that dry yellow-brown, with delicate perianth lobes 10 to 14 millimeters long. Growing with slender scapes 10 to 35 centimeters tall and slightly rough near the base, it emerges from a compact underground structure. Its narrow leaves are 10 to 30 centimeters long and only 1.5 to 2 millimeters wide, providing a delicate, grass-like appearance. The fruit is a distinctive 10 to 15 millimeter capsule deeply divided into three lobes.

Habitat: Open desert scrub, sandy to rocky soil

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: 100-1600 m

Bioregions: s DMoj, n DSon

California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo

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