Drymocallis rhomboidea
Common cinquefoil
Family: Rosaceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Drymocallis rhomboidea (Common cinquefoil) is a native California perennial in the Rosaceae family, recognized by narrowly opening flowers with erect petals shorter than sepals.
Common cinquefoil is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, and northern California Ranges on dry rocky slopes and roadcuts at elevations of 180 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces cream-white flowers in small clusters with narrow, delicate petals. Growing with tufted stems 20 to 45 centimeters tall and sparse glandular hairs near the base, it forms a compact clump in rocky terrain. Its basal leaves have 4 to 6 leaflets, with the terminal leaflet 10 to 30 millimeters long, obovate-elliptic, and featuring 8 to 12 teeth on each side. The small fruits are light red-brown and measure 1 to 1.3 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 8 sympatric species; key feature is narrowly opening flowers with erect petals shorter than sepals
Habitat and range
Habitat: dry rocky slopes, roadcuts
Elevation: 180-2500 m
Outside California: southwestern Oregon
Bloom period
Drymocallis rhomboidea blooms Jun-Jul.
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 rhomboidea native to California?
Yes. Drymocallis rhomboidea is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Drymocallis rhomboidea bloom?
Drymocallis rhomboidea blooms Jun-Jul.
What plant family does Drymocallis rhomboidea belong to?
Drymocallis rhomboidea is in the Rosaceae family, genus Drymocallis.
What habitat does Drymocallis rhomboidea grow in?
Drymocallis rhomboidea grows in dry rocky slopes, roadcuts.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Drymocallis sp.
- Drymocallis cuneifolia
- Drymocallis cuneifolia var. cuneifolia — Wedgeleaf woodbeauty
- Drymocallis cuneifolia var. ewanii — Ewan's woodbeauty
- Drymocallis glandulosa — Sticky cinquefoil
- Drymocallis glandulosa var. glandulosa — Sticky cinquefoil
- Duchesnea indica var. indica — Mock-strawberry
- Duchesnea sp.
- Eriobotrya japonica — Loquat
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.