Eriastrum pluriflorum subsp. sherman-hoytae

Mrs. hoyt's woolly-star

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

Mrs. hoyt's woolly-star is a California native annual found in grasslands, arid shrublands, and savannahs of washes and floodplains at elevations of 400 to 1,000 meters. Flowering from May to June, this delicate plant produces flowers with a striking color palette of pale to sky-blue or lavender petals and a bright orange-yellow throat. Growing 3 to 33 centimeters tall with woolly stems that become less hairy with age, the plant develops pinnately lobed leaves with thin, linear segments. Its leaves range from 9 to 40 millimeters long, becoming less woolly as the plant matures, with 1 to 7 narrow, thread-like lobes. The flower's intricate structure features a purple or reddish to blue or white corolla with slender petals that extend notably from the woolly calyx.

Habitat: Washes, floodplains, hillsides, old disturbed areas, in grassland, arid shrubland, savannah

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 400-1000 m

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