Boerhavia coccinea

Scarlet spiderling, Scarlet Spiderling

Family: Nyctaginaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Scarlet spiderling is a California native perennial found in southern San Joaquin Valley, southern California, Peninsular Ranges, and desert regions of southern California in dry disturbed places at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces red-violet flowers in small umbels with delicate, subtle blooms. Growing with prostrate or sprawling stems less than 15 decimeters long, it has distinctively hairy and glandular stems that spread across the ground. Its leaves are broadly ovate with blunt tips and slightly wavy edges, creating a soft, undulating appearance across the landscape. The fruit is glandular-hairy, wide, and smooth between ribs with a rounded tip.

Habitat: dry disturbed places

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: < 1000 m

Bioregions: s SnJV, SCo, PR, DSon

California counties: Riverside, San Diego, Tulare, San Bernardino, Imperial, Kern, Glenn, Ventura, Madera, Fresno, Tuolumne

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