Chamaesaracha sordida
Hairy five-eyes
(c) Alex Abair, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Alex Abair · licence
Family: Solanaceae · Type: Herb
Chamaesaracha sordida (Hairy five-eyes) is a California herb in the Solanaceae family.
Hairy five-eyes is a naturalized perennial found in open desert woodland with gravelly soil at elevations around 1,550 meters. Flowering from March to October, this plant produces cream flowers with complex coloration, each about 10 to 15 millimeters in diameter, featuring pale yellow, greenish, or purple midstripes and a deeper yellow basal spot. Growing with decumbent to suberect stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, the plant is characterized by herbage covered in unbranched, mostly gland-tipped hairs. Its leaves are subsessile or petioled, 15 to 40 millimeters long, oblanceolate to diamond-shaped with margins that are entire to slightly lobed and sometimes wavy. The fruit is round, measuring 5 to 8 millimeters in diameter.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated with 0 sympatric species, but range poorly defined in eFlora
Habitat and range
Habitat: gravelly soil, open desert woodland
Elevation: 1550 m
Outside California: to Texas, northern Mexico
Bloom period
Chamaesaracha sordida blooms Mar-Oct.
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
When does Chamaesaracha sordida bloom?
Chamaesaracha sordida blooms Mar-Oct.
What plant family does Chamaesaracha sordida belong to?
Chamaesaracha sordida is in the Solanaceae family, genus Chamaesaracha.
What habitat does Chamaesaracha sordida grow in?
Chamaesaracha sordida grows in gravelly soil, open desert woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · 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.