Eremothera refracta

Narrow leaved primrose

Family: Onagraceae · Type: annual · Native

Narrow leaved primrose is a California native annual found in desert regions, particularly in the Mojave Desert, on sandy slopes and desert scrub at elevations from 30 meters below sea level to 1,300 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces white flowers that gradually fade to reddish tones, with delicate petals 3.5 to 7 millimeters long. Growing with erect stems 6 to 45 centimeters tall that have a distinctive peeling characteristic, the plant develops a reddish tint and appears sparsely hairy. Its leaves are narrow and elongated, ranging less than 60 millimeters long, with narrowly elliptic to lanceolate shapes and occasional subtle teeth along the margins. The plant's fruits are cylindrical, spreading or reflexed, measuring 20 to 50 millimeters in length and remarkably slender at just 0.7 to 1 millimeter wide.

Habitat: Sandy slopes, flats, desert scrub

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: -30-1300 m

Bioregions: D

California counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, Inyo, Imperial, San Diego, Los Angeles, Kern, Monterey, Ventura, San Luis Obispo

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