Eriastrum sapphirinum
Sapphire woolly-star
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Eriastrum sapphirinum (Sapphire woolly-star) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family.
Sapphire woolly-star is a California native annual found in rocky or open habitats at elevations of 300 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces delicate white to light purple or blue flowers with lavender and dark blue lobes, often marked with reddish or purple spots. Growing 10 to 54 centimeters tall with erect or spreading stems that are sticky with glandular hairs, it has distinctively complex leaves with 3 to 5 narrow linear lobes near the base. Its leaves range from 4 to 44 millimeters long, varying from glabrous to woolly in texture. The fruit is a small capsule 3 to 5 millimeters long, typically containing 1 to 4 seeds per chamber.
Habitat and range
California counties: Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, San Bernardino, Kern, San Diego, Ventura, Monterey, Merced, Inyo, Contra Costa, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara
How to tell it apart
vs Navarretia: Eriastrum has fluffy white woolly hairs; Navarretia has spine-tipped bracts and leaves without woolly hairs.; vs Gilia: Eriastrum flower clusters are densely woolly-hairy; Gilia flower clusters lack woolly hairs.; vs Loeseliastrum: Eriastrum has woolly tufted hairs and radial flowers; Loeseliastrum has simple hairs and bilateral flowers.; vs Langloisia: Eriastrum has woolly tufted white hairs; Langloisia has stiff branched bristly hairs.; vs Petalonyx: Eriastrum has opposite lobed leaves in Polemoniaceae; Petalonyx has alternate simple leaves in Loasaceae.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eriastrum sapphirinum native to California?
Yes. Eriastrum sapphirinum is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Eriastrum sapphirinum grow?
Eriastrum sapphirinum occurs in Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, San Bernardino, Kern, San Diego, Ventura, Monterey and other counties.
What plant family does Eriastrum sapphirinum belong to?
Eriastrum sapphirinum is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Eriastrum.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Eriastrum sapphirinum subsp. ambiguum — Short-bract woolly-star
- Eriastrum sapphirinum subsp. dasyanthum — Shaggy woolly-star
- Eriastrum sapphirinum subsp. sapphirinum — Sapphire woolly-star
- Eriastrum signatum — Spotted woolly-star
- Eriastrum sp. — Woolly-star
- Eriastrum sparsiflorum — Few-flowered woolly-star
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.