Drymocallis lactea
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Rosaceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Drymocallis lactea is a native California perennial in the Rosaceae family.
Drymocallis lactea is a California native perennial found in montane and alpine habitats at elevations ranging from 1,500 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces white to cream-colored flowers in loosely branched clusters with widely spreading petals. Growing with tufted stems 10 to 60 centimeters tall, it forms dense clumps with characteristic compound leaves. Its basal leaves have 3 to 4 pairs of lateral leaflets surrounding a terminal leaflet that is approximately 10 to 40 millimeters long, with single teeth along the leaf edges. The flower petals are widely obovate and slightly larger than the sepals, creating a delicate and distinctive appearance.
Habitat and range
California counties: Mono, San Bernardino, Sierra, Plumas, El Dorado, Glenn, Tuolumne, Nevada, Modoc, Butte, Lassen, Alpine, Placer, Lake, Shasta, Tulare, Amador
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 lactea native to California?
Yes. Drymocallis lactea is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Drymocallis lactea grow?
Drymocallis lactea occurs in Mono, San Bernardino, Sierra, Plumas, El Dorado, Glenn, Tuolumne, Nevada and other counties.
What plant family does Drymocallis lactea belong to?
Drymocallis lactea is in the Rosaceae family, genus Drymocallis.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Drymocallis lactea var. austiniae — Austin's woodbeauty
- Drymocallis lactea var. lactea — Sierran woodbeauty
- Drymocallis pseudorupestris — False rock loving cinquefoil
- Drymocallis pseudorupestris var. crumiana — Crum's woodbeauty
- Drymocallis pseudorupestris var. saxicola — Cliff woodbeauty
- Drymocallis rhomboidea — Common cinquefoil
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-09-30
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.