Calyptridium parryi var. parryi

Parry's pussypaws

Family: Montiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Parry's pussypaws is a California native annual found in southern Santa Lucia Mountains, Transverse Ranges, and San Jacinto Mountains in open, sandy areas of chaparral and conifer forest at elevations of 1,400 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from May to July, this delicate plant produces small white to pink flowers with distinctive ovate to kidney-shaped sepals that often have translucent margins. Growing with low-spreading stems typically less than 20 centimeters tall, it forms loose clusters of tiny blooms close to the ground. Its leaves are typically spatulate, forming dense basal rosettes that hug the sandy soil. Tiny seeds, less than one millimeter long, are covered in fine papillate texture that helps them cling to the surrounding environment.

Habitat: Open, sandy areas in chaparral, conifer forest

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 1400-3500 m

Bioregions: s SCoRO, TR, SnJt.

California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Benito, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Kern, Fresno

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