Calyptridium parryi var. hesseae

Santa cruz mountains pussypaws, Santa Cruz Mountains Pussypaws

Family: Montiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Santa cruz mountains pussypaws is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in southwestern San Francisco Bay and northern South Coast Ranges in sandy soils of chaparral, oak woodland, and conifer forest at elevations of 600 to 1,050 meters. Flowering from April to July, this delicate plant produces small white to pink flowers with ovate sepals that have narrow scarious margins. Growing with slender, low-spreading stems to approximately 15 centimeters tall, it forms compact clusters close to the ground. Its leaves are small, spatulate to oblanceolate, forming a basal rosette with soft, pale green coloration. The tiny seeds, less than one millimeter long, are decorated with marginal papillae and readily detach from the plant.

Habitat: Sandy soils in chaparral, oak woodland, conifer forest

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 600-1050 m

Bioregions: sw SnFrB, n SCoR.

California counties: Santa Cruz, Monterey, Fresno, Santa Clara, San Benito, San Luis Obispo

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