Aphyllon californicum subsp. grayanum

Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Aphyllon grayanum is a California native perennial found in moderately moist meadows and stream margins in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at elevations of 1,200 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces flowers ranging from white to pale purple with delicate lavender veins, growing in small clusters on compact stems. Growing just 4 to 10 centimeters tall with branching or unbranched stems rarely exceeding 5 centimeters long, it forms low, modest clusters in its habitat. Its flowers feature a distinctive corolla tube that gradually widens from 20 to 30 millimeters, with lips that transition subtly between white, yellow, and pale purple tones. The plant's diminutive size and intricate flower coloration make it a charming, easily overlooked inhabitant of mountain meadow environments.

Habitat: Uncommon. Moderately moist meadows, stream margins, on

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 1200-1800 m

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