Chaenactis alpigena

Sharsmith pincushion, Sharsmith Pincushion

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Sharsmith pincushion is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada and northern White Mountains in open, granitic sandy and gravelly high-elevation areas at elevations of 2,200 to 3,900 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces white to pale pink flowers in small, compact heads about 9 to 14 millimeters long. Growing as a low, dense mat with stems 2 to 7 centimeters tall, it forms tightly clustered groups in harsh alpine environments. Its basal leaves are distinctive, varying between northern and southern populations, with some having wide elliptic blades that are flat and palmately lobed, while others have more three-dimensional, pinnately lobed leaves with curled or twisted tips. The plant's woolly, grayish to yellowish proximal hairs and compact growth form help it survive in exposed, rocky high-mountain habitats.

Habitat: Open, loose, generally granitic sand, gravel, scree

Bloom period: Jul-Sep

Elevation: 2200-3900 m

Bioregions: SNH, W&ampI (n White Mtns)

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