Eriastrum pluriflorum subsp. albifaux

White-throated woolly-star

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

White-throated woolly-star is a California native annual found in desert scrub, plains, hillsides, and shallow washes at elevations of 800 to 1,440 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces white to pale blue flowers with purple or white corollas and distinctive white to cream throats that are often pale-yellow spotted inside. Growing 3.5 to 24 centimeters tall with erect stems that are woolly when young and nearly woody at the base if persistent, the plant develops simple or branched growth. Its leaves are 6 to 30 millimeters long, lightly woolly, and feature 5 to 13 lateral lobes that give the plant a delicate, intricate appearance. The tiny capsule fruit measures just 2 to 3 millimeters long, with seeds approximately 1.2 to 2.0 millimeters in size.

Habitat: Plains, hillsides, shallow washes, disturbed areas, desert scrub

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 800-1440 m

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