Cordylanthus tenuis subsp. tenuis

Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: annual · Native

Thin-stemmed owl's-clover is a California native annual found in central Klamath Ranges and Sierra Nevada in open conifer forests and foothill woodlands at elevations of 300 to 2,600 meters. Flowering from July to September, this delicate plant produces small flowers typically 10 to 20 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems that vary from softly downy at higher elevations to glandular-sticky at lower elevations, it reaches heights typically under 30 centimeters. Its narrow linear leaves remain entire, providing a clean, minimalist profile along the stem. The plant forms loose clusters of one to three flowers, with inner bract hairs less than one millimeter long.

Habitat: Open conifer forests, foothill woodland

Bloom period: Jul-Sep

Elevation: 300-2600 m

Bioregions: c KR, SN.

California counties: Tuolumne, Mariposa, Lassen, Calaveras, Placer, El Dorado, Siskiyou, Madera, Plumas, Fresno, Lake, Butte, Nevada, Tehama, Amador, Trinity, Yuba, Sierra, Alpine, Mono

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