Claytonia panamintensis

Panamint spring beauty

Family: Montiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Panamint spring beauty is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in openings of pinyon-juniper and oak woodland on north-facing, stony slopes in sedimentary substrates at elevations of 1,000 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from February to May, this delicate plant produces white flowers with faint pink veining and yellow bases, ranging 8 to 10 millimeters long. Growing 11 to 14 centimeters tall with erect stems, it develops a distinctive spheric brown tuberous root 0.5 to 2.5 centimeters wide. Its cauline leaves are dark green on top, often beet-red underneath, with 2 to 4 elliptic to oblanceolate leaves measuring 30 to 60 millimeters long and distinctly petioled. The flower buds emerge nodding, with small membranous bracts at the base of the inflorescence.

Habitat: Openings in pinyon-juniper and oak woodland, on north-facing, stony and talus slopes of mainly sedimentary (or metasedimentary) substrates (e.g. marble, shale/slate, sandstone) mixed with decomposing organic material

Bloom period: Feb-May

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