Boerhavia triquetra var. intermedia

Fivewing spiderling

Family: Nyctaginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Fivewing spiderling is a California native annual found in eastern Peninsular Ranges, eastern Mojave Desert Mountains including Ivanpah, Clark, and Kingston ranges, and southeastern Sonoran Desert in gravelly washes and flats at elevations below 1,300 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces pale pink to white flowers less than 2 millimeters long, typically clustered in small umbels of 3 to 6 blooms. Growing with ascending or erect stems 20 to 50 centimeters tall, it has fine, sparse hairs along its slender structure. Its leaves are broadly lanceolate or ovate, with blades that are acute to obtuse at the tip. The fruit is characterized by 3 to 5 rounded or angled ribs, measuring 2 to 2.7 millimeters long with a truncate to rounded tip.

Habitat: Gravelly washes, flats

Bloom period: Aug-Oct

Elevation: < 1300 m

Bioregions: e PR, e DMtns (Ivanpah Mtns, Clark Mtn, Kingston ranges), se DMoj exc DMtns, e DSon

California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, Imperial, San Diego

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