Eriastrum sparsiflorum
Few-flowered woolly-star
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Eriastrum sparsiflorum (Few-flowered woolly-star) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by few-flowered heads and distinctive 3-sided seeds.
Few-flowered woolly-star is a California native annual found in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, southern Modoc Plateau, and southern eastern Sierra Nevada in open sunny areas, scrub, chaparral, and woodland at elevations of 940 to 2,020 meters. Flowering from May to July, this delicate plant produces very pale blue or lavender to white or cream flowers with white throats often marked with subtle purple dots. Growing 10 to 31 centimeters tall with slender stems that are minutely glandular-hairy, it develops a light woolly texture. Its leaves are 5 to 30 millimeters long, generally entire, with occasional linear to thread-like lobes near the base. The fruit is an oblong capsule containing one to three seeds that develop a slime coating when wet.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 16 sympatric species; few-flowered heads and distinctive 3-sided seeds
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open sunny areas on flats, hillsides, small washes, floodplains, disturbed areas, in scrub, chaparral, woodland
Elevation: 940-2020 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Kern, Mono, Inyo, Los Angeles, Tulare, Modoc, Lassen, San Luis Obispo, Alpine, Plumas, Siskiyou, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Ventura, San Diego, Sierra
Outside California: Nevada
Bloom period
Eriastrum sparsiflorum blooms May-Jul.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
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 sparsiflorum native to California?
Yes. Eriastrum sparsiflorum is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Eriastrum sparsiflorum bloom?
Eriastrum sparsiflorum blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Eriastrum sparsiflorum grow?
Eriastrum sparsiflorum occurs in San Bernardino, Kern, Mono, Inyo, Los Angeles, Tulare, Modoc, Lassen and other counties, at elevations of 940-2020 m.
What plant family does Eriastrum sparsiflorum belong to?
Eriastrum sparsiflorum is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Eriastrum.
Is Eriastrum sparsiflorum rare or endangered?
Eriastrum sparsiflorum carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S4.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.