Calyptridium parryi var. nevadense

Nevada pussypaws

Family: Montiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Nevada pussypaws is a California native annual found in the eastern Sierra Nevada and desert mountains in mixed desert scrub and pinyon/juniper woodland at elevations of 1,500 to 2,990 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces delicate white to pink flowers with distinctive ovate to kidney-shaped sepals that have widely scarious (papery) margins. Growing in small, low-spreading clusters with thin stems, it forms compact ground-hugging formations. Its tiny leaves are small and somewhat fleshy, typical of desert-adapted plants. The diminutive seeds, measuring just 0.6 to 0.7 millimeters, feature marginal papillae that aid in dispersal.

Habitat: Mixed desert scrub, pinyon/juniper woodland

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 1500-2990 m

Bioregions: SNE, DMtns

California counties: Inyo, Mono

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