Eremogone congesta
Ballhead sandwort, Ballhead Sandwort
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Eremogone congesta (Ballhead sandwort) is a native California perennial in the Caryophyllaceae family.
Ballhead sandwort is a California native perennial found in rocky, open areas at elevations of 1,000 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces white flowers in dense, head-like clusters with petals 5 to 8 millimeters long. Growing with tufted, glandular-hairy stems 8 to 40 centimeters tall, it forms compact green clumps in rocky terrain. Its leaves are narrow and sharp-tipped, measuring 10 to 80 millimeters long and only 0.5 to 2 millimeters wide, with a single prominent vein. The fruit contains 4 to 8 reddish-brown seeds, each 1.4 to 3 millimeters long with low, rounded tubercles.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated from all other species
Habitat and range
California counties: Lassen, Modoc, Siskiyou, Trinity, Lake, Glenn, Mendocino, Shasta, Tehama, Humboldt, Del Norte, Tulare, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Plumas
How to tell it apart
vs Sabulina: Eremogone has rigid, spine-tipped needle leaves in dense cushions; Sabulina has softer, narrower leaves more scattered on stems.; vs Minuartia: Eremogone cushions have spine-tipped needles that prick; Minuartia has softer, more flexible narrow leaves.; vs Ivesia: Eremogone has simple needle leaves in cushions; Ivesia has compound, fern-like leaves in rosettes.; vs Hesperolinon: Eremogone forms cushions of sharp needle leaves; Hesperolinon is upright with scattered narrow leaves.; vs Linanthus: Eremogone has dense needle-leaf cushions; Linanthus has palmate-divided leaves like tiny hands.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eremogone congesta native to California?
Yes. Eremogone congesta is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Eremogone congesta grow?
Eremogone congesta occurs in Lassen, Modoc, Siskiyou, Trinity, Lake, Glenn, Mendocino, Shasta and other counties.
What plant family does Eremogone congesta belong to?
Eremogone congesta is in the Caryophyllaceae family, genus Eremogone.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Eremogone congesta var. charlestonensis — Charleston sandwort
- Eremogone congesta var. congesta — Capitate sandwort
- Eremogone congesta var. crassula — Rough sandwort
- Eremogone congesta var. simulans — Capitate sandwort
- Eremogone congesta var. subcongesta — Capitate sandwort
- Eremogone congesta var. suffrutescens — Suffrutescent sandwort
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.