Calyptridium quadripetalum

Four-petaled pussypaws

Family: Montiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Four-petaled pussypaws is a California native annual found in northern California Coast Ranges at elevations of 400 to 2,000 meters in sandy or gravelly serpentine areas. Flowering from April to June, this delicate plant produces white to pink flowers with four petals about 2 to 3 millimeters long. Growing with spreading to erect stems 1.5 to 13 centimeters tall, it forms a slender taproot or fibrous root system. Its leaves are both basal and along the stem, generally persisting through fruit production and measuring 0.5 to 6 centimeters long. The plant produces tiny fruits 3 to 4 millimeters long containing 10 to 20 small, papillate seeds.

Habitat: Sandy or gravelly areas, generally serpentine

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 400-2000 m

Bioregions: NCoRH, NCoRI.

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