Chamaesaracha arida
Green-leaf five-eyes
(c) Tamberly Conway, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tamberly Conway · licence
Family: Solanaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Chamaesaracha arida (Green-leaf five-eyes) is a native California subshrub in the Solanaceae family.
Green-leaf five-eyes is a California native perennial found in the eastern Desert Mountains, specifically the New York Mountains, on dry clay soil at approximately 1,500 meters elevation. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces white to greenish-purple flowers with delicate yellow, dull purple, or brown midstripes. Growing with prostrate to ascending stems 10 to 50 centimeters tall, it has subglabrous herbage with scattered minute hairs. Its leaves are subsessile, 20 to 65 millimeters long, varying from linear to narrowly lanceolate with margins that are nearly entire or sometimes deeply lobed. The fruit is a round capsule 4 to 8 millimeters in diameter.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated with 0 sympatric species in eastern Desert Mountains
Habitat and range
Habitat: Dry, clay soil
Elevation: +- 1500 m.
Outside California: to Colorado, Texas, northern Mexico
Bloom period
Chamaesaracha arida blooms May-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Leucophysalis: Chamaesaracha has densely woolly hair between anther bases; Leucophysalis throat is less hairy.; vs Salpichroa: Chamaesaracha is a low desert perennial with whitish flowers; Salpichroa is a vine with tubular flowers.; vs Cestrum: Chamaesaracha is a low desert herb; Cestrum is a woody shrub with tubular flowers.; vs Lycium: Chamaesaracha is herbaceous and low-growing; Lycium is a thorny shrub.; vs Solanum: Chamaesaracha anthers are shorter than their stalks; Solanum anthers are longer than stalks.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chamaesaracha arida native to California?
Yes. Chamaesaracha arida is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Chamaesaracha arida bloom?
Chamaesaracha arida blooms May-Jul.
What plant family does Chamaesaracha arida belong to?
Chamaesaracha arida is in the Solanaceae family, genus Chamaesaracha.
What habitat does Chamaesaracha arida grow in?
Chamaesaracha arida grows in Dry, clay soil.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.