Ehrendorferia ochroleuca
White eardrops, White Eardrops
(c) paulexcoff, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Papaveraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Ehrendorferia ochroleuca (White eardrops) is a native California herb in the Papaveraceae family.
White eardrops is a California native perennial found in southern coastal and southern western California bioregions in dry slopes, burns, and disturbed areas at elevations below 1,100 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces white flowers in compact clusters with 5 to many blooms. Growing with tall stems 50 to 200 centimeters high, the plant has an intricate, finely divided structure. Its leaves are complex, three-times pinnately dissected, measuring 15 to 35 centimeters long with delicate, lacy foliage. The mature plant produces distinctive elongated fruits 15 to 30 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; flower color and elevation/geographic restrictions are key differentiators
Habitat and range
Habitat: dry slopes, burns, disturbed areas
Elevation: < 1100 m
Bloom period
Ehrendorferia ochroleuca blooms May-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Anigozanthos: Ehrendorferia has delicate dissected leaves; Anigozanthos has sword-like grass leaves.; vs Jacobaea: Ehrendorferia has hanging eardrop flowers; Jacobaea has yellow daisy flowers in flat clusters.; vs Foeniculum: Ehrendorferia has pendant flowers; Foeniculum has yellow umbels and smells like licorice.; vs Dicentra: Ehrendorferia has leafy stems; Dicentra leaves all come from the base.; vs Eschscholzia: Ehrendorferia has hanging pouched flowers; Eschscholzia has open poppy flowers facing up.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ehrendorferia ochroleuca native to California?
Yes. Ehrendorferia ochroleuca is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Ehrendorferia ochroleuca bloom?
Ehrendorferia ochroleuca blooms May-Jul.
What plant family does Ehrendorferia ochroleuca belong to?
Ehrendorferia ochroleuca is in the Papaveraceae family, genus Ehrendorferia.
What habitat does Ehrendorferia ochroleuca grow in?
Ehrendorferia ochroleuca grows in dry slopes, burns, disturbed areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.