Claytonia exigua subsp. glauca

Family: Montiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Claytonia exigua subsp. glauca is a California native annual found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, San Francisco Bay Area, and southern Coast Ranges on dry or moist serpentine and disturbed soils at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from April to July, this delicate plant produces small white petals approximately 2 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems that form a distinctive disk-like structure where leaves are fused, it spreads low across the ground. Its leaves merge into a compact, nearly circular disk along the stem, creating a unique botanical profile. The plant's chromosomal configuration of 2n=16 contributes to its ability to thrive in challenging serpentine environments.

Habitat: Dry or moist, disturbed bare clay to sandy soils, often serpentine

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: < 1000 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoR, SnFrB, SCoRO

California counties: Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Colusa, Tehama, Humboldt, Lake, Del Norte, San Luis Obispo, Placer

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