Eremogone congesta var. charlestonensis

Charleston sandwort

Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Charleston sandwort is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native perennial found in the New York and Panamint Mountains in sandy desert mountain ridges at elevations of 2,200 to 2,500 meters. Flowering in June, this plant produces delicate white flowers in small, relatively open clusters. Growing with slender stems up to 20 centimeters tall, it forms compact, low-growing clumps in harsh mountain environments. Its leaves are extremely narrow, less than one millimeter wide and 10 to 20 millimeters long, creating a fine, thread-like appearance. Its small flowers have sharp-tipped sepals measuring 4.5 to 5.5 millimeters long, characteristic of this specialized desert mountain species.

Habitat: Sandy ridges

Bloom period: Jun

Elevation: 2200-2500 m

Bioregions: DMtns (New York Mtns, Panamint Range)

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.