Claytonia parviflora subsp. utahensis

Family: Montiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Utah miner's lettuce is a California native annual found in the Tehachapi and Mojave Desert mountains in rock crevices, alluvial fans, and boulder fields at elevations of 1,000 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from April to July, this delicate plant produces small white to pink flowers 2 to 6 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems that form a distinctive disk-like base where cauline leaves fuse together, it typically reaches a low-spreading growth habit. Its leaves are distinctively basal and elliptic, with the lower leaves forming a unique circular arrangement around the stem. The tiny seeds measure 1.2 to 2.3 millimeters, reflecting the plant's diminutive and elegant structure.

Habitat: Rock crevices, alluvial fans, boulder fields

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 1000-1500 m

Bioregions: Teh, DMoj

California counties: San Bernardino, Kern, Los Angeles, Inyo, Riverside, Tulare, Stanislaus, Fresno, Alameda, San Diego

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