Ditaxis serrata var. californica

California ditaxis

Family: Euphorbiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 3.2

California ditaxis is a native perennial found in the Mojave Desert near Eagle Mountain and northwestern Sonoran Desert in the Coachella Valley, inhabiting desert washes and canyons at elevations of 50 to 1,000 meters. Flowering from April to November, this plant produces small, understated flowers with delicate pale petals. Growing with slender stems 15 to 50 centimeters tall and appearing glabrous, it develops lanceolate to elliptic leaves 10 to 50 millimeters long with finely toothed edges. Its leaves feature tiny stipules less than one millimeter long with faintly gland-toothed margins, giving the plant a subtle, refined appearance. The fruit is approximately 3.5 millimeters long with seeds that are slightly angled and subtly pitted.

Habitat: Washes, canyons

Bloom period: Apr-Nov

Elevation: 50-1000 m

Bioregions: DMoj (Eagle Mtn), nw DSon (Coachella Valley).

California counties: Riverside, 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.