Dipterostemon capitatus subsp. pauciflorus

Family: Themidaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Few-flowered desert cluster-lily is a California native perennial found in the eastern Sierra Nevada and Mojave Desert in open desert scrub and dunes at elevations of 150 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces white to purple-streaked flowers in compact clusters with 2 to 5 individual blooms. Growing with slender stems 15 to 40 centimeters tall, it emerges from an underground bulb with a delicate, spreading growth habit. Its narrow leaves are linear and grass-like, emerging from the base of the plant. The flower clusters feature distinctive white or purple-streaked bracts, with individual flower pedicels extending beyond the bracts.

Habitat: Deserts, open scrub, dunes

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: 150-2200 m

Bioregions: SNE, D

California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, Inyo, Imperial, El Dorado, Alameda, Butte, Placer, Santa Clara, Tulare, Ventura, Nevada, Fresno, Mariposa, San Diego, Humboldt, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo

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