Eriastrum hooveri

Hoover's woolly-star

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2 · Delisted

Hoover's woolly-star is a native annual herb found in southern San Joaquin Valley, southwestern Tehachapi Mountains, and western Transverse Ranges in open alkali sinks, plains, and floodplains at elevations of 45 to 810 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces delicate white to cream flowers in small clusters, with blossoms 4 to 6 millimeters long. Growing with erect stems 2 to 15 centimeters tall, it branches from the base and can have lateral branches sometimes exceeding the primary stem. Its leaves are narrow and thread-like, 3 to 25 millimeters long, lightly woolly and occasionally with three lobes at the base. When wet, its seeds become slimy and are tan to light brown, often with angular shapes.

Habitat: Open swales or mounds in alkali sinks or plains, floodplains, flat benches above washes, in alkali or arid scrub, sometimes with biologic soil crust

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 45-810 m

Bioregions: s SNF (ne Kern Co.), SnJV, WTR (ne Santa Barbara Co.).

California counties: Kern, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Fresno, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Kings

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