Eriastrum diffusum subsp. coachellae

Coachella woolly-star

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

Coachella woolly-star is a California native annual found in desert regions of southern California in washes, alluvial plains, and desert wash scrub at elevations of 0 to 500 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces delicate white to cream flowers, occasionally with tiny reddish spots, featuring a yellow throat approximately 0.5 to 0.75 millimeters long. Growing 4.5 to 16 centimeters tall with erect to spreading stems that can sometimes be decumbent, it develops young leaves that are woolly and become less hairy with age. Its leaves are typically 7 to 20 millimeters long, with zero to three narrow lobes, creating a soft, intricate texture. The plant produces small capsules about 3 to 4 millimeters long containing tan, angular seeds approximately 1 to 1.25 millimeters in length.

Habitat: Washes, alluvial plains, sandbars, in creosote bush, desert wash scrub

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 0-500 m

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