Canbya candida

White pygmy-poppy, White Pygmy-Poppy

Family: Papaveraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

White pygmy-poppy is a California native annual found in western Mojave Desert and adjacent Sierra Nevada regions in sandy places at elevations of 600 to 1,350 meters. Flowering from April to May, this delicate plant produces white flowers small and compact, closing tightly over its developing fruit. Growing as a tiny tufted plant only 10 to 30 millimeters tall with an almost smooth surface, it forms dense clusters close to the ground. Its leaves are small, fleshy, and generally 5 to 9 millimeters long, adapting perfectly to its arid desert habitat. The tiny flower petals measure 3 to 4 millimeters and carefully fold over the developing fruit, protecting its diminutive seeds measuring just 0.6 millimeters.

Habitat: Sandy places

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 600-1350 m

Bioregions: w DMoj, adjacent SN.

California counties: Kern, Inyo, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Joaquin

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