Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa
Sticky cinquefoil
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Family: Rosaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa (Sticky cinquefoil) is a native California subshrub in the Rosaceae family, recognized by reflexed sepals and non-leafy inflorescence.
Sticky cinquefoil is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, southern Channel Islands, San Bernardino Mountains, and Peninsular Ranges in moist or partially shaded places at elevations of 450 to 2,600 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces bright yellow flowers 3 to 4 millimeters wide with narrow-obovate petals. Growing with erect stems 15 to 80 centimeters tall that spread in a distinctive branching pattern, it forms an open, airy clump. Its compound leaves have 3 pairs of lateral leaflets with a terminal leaflet 15 to 40 millimeters long, each leaflet featuring double-serrated edges with 6 to 16 teeth per side. The plant's delicate flower clusters have spreading branches with pedicels 2 to 10 millimeters long, creating an elegant, open-branched appearance.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 14 sympatric species; key feature is reflexed sepals and non-leafy inflorescence
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist or +- shaded places
Elevation: 450-2600 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Kern, Madera, Ventura, Siskiyou, Los Angeles, Tuolumne, Tulare, Plumas, Tehama, Fresno, Riverside, Humboldt, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Mariposa, Calaveras, Modoc, Mono, Sierra, El Dorado, Lake, Placer, Napa, Amador, Del Norte, Lassen, Shasta, Sonoma, Sutter, Butte, Glenn, Nevada, Mendocino, Trinity, Yuba, Orange
Outside California: southern Oregon, western Nevada, northern Baja California
Bloom period
Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa blooms May-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Potentilla: Drymocallis has club-shaped styles thickest in the middle; Potentilla has slender styles throughout.; vs Fragaria: Drymocallis has yellow-white flowers and dry achenes; Fragaria has white flowers and red fleshy fruits.; vs Horkelia: Drymocallis has swollen fusiform styles; Horkelia has flattened filaments forming a tube around pistils.; vs Rubus: Drymocallis has simple yellow flowers and herbaceous stems; Rubus has aggregate white-pink flowers and woody stems.; vs Dasiphora: Drymocallis has herbaceous stems and fusiform styles; Dasiphora is a woody shrub with slender styles.
Frequently asked questions
Is Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa native to California?
Yes. Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa bloom?
Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa blooms May-Aug.
Where in California does Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa grow?
Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa occurs in San Bernardino, Kern, Madera, Ventura, Siskiyou, Los Angeles, Tuolumne, Tulare and other counties, at elevations of 450-2600 m.
What plant family does Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa belong to?
Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa is in the Rosaceae family, genus Drymocallis.
What habitat does Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa grow in?
Drymocallis glandulosa var. reflexa grows in Moist or +- shaded places.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.