Chaenactis carphoclinia var. carphoclinia

Pebble pincushion

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Pebble pincushion is a California native annual found in southern Sierra Nevada and desert regions on open, rocky or gravelly slopes at elevations of 90 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from March to June, this delicate plant produces white to cream-colored flowers in small, compact clusters. Growing with slender stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms an airy, sparse structure characteristic of desert annual wildflowers. Its leaves are predominantly basal, with slender, flexible petioles and blades up to 6 centimeters long that tend to wither as the plant matures. The plant's compact size and ability to thrive in rocky, harsh environments make it a distinctive member of its desert and mountain habitats.

Habitat: Common. Open, generally rocky or gravelly slopes, flats

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: -90-1900 m

Bioregions: s SNE, D

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