Crossosoma bigelovii

Bigelow crossosoma

Family: Crossosomataceae · Type: shrub · Native

Bigelow crossosoma is a California native shrub found in eastern San Bernardo Mountains, eastern Peninsula Ranges, and the Desert regions on dry, rocky slopes and canyons at elevations of 150 to 1,280 meters. Flowering from February to April, this plant produces white to pale purple flowers 9 to 12 millimeters long with oblong petals. Growing 1 to 2 meters tall with distinctively thorny branchlets, it forms a robust and intricate shrub structure. Its leaves are elliptic to spoon-shaped, creating a soft yet structured appearance across its branching form. The fruit develops as 1 to 3 structures approximately 8 to 10 millimeters long, containing 2 to 5 seeds.

Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes, canyons

Bloom period: Feb-Apr

Elevation: 150-1280 m

Bioregions: e SnBr, e PR, D

California counties: Inyo, Riverside, San Bernardino, 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.