Eriastrum tracyi
Tracy's woolly-star, tracy's eriastrum
(c) Chris Winchell, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 3.2
Eriastrum tracyi (Tracy's woolly-star) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by clustered heads and reddish-purple tubes with darker rings.
Tracy's woolly-star is a native annual herb found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, southern Sierra Nevada Foothills, San Francisco Bay Area, and Mount Shasta region in shale barrens, open hillsides, and chaparral at elevations of 320 to 1,610 meters. Flowering from May to June, this delicate plant produces flowers ranging from light blue, pinkish, and lavender to white, with a distinctive reddish-purple to white corolla often featuring a darker purplish ring near the throat. Growing 10 to 25 centimeters tall with erect stems that are lightly woolly and either simple or branched above, it develops densely woolly flower heads clustered at the stem tips. Its leaves are 10 to 25 millimeters long, woolly in texture, and range from entire to 3-lobed with linear lobes. The fruit is an oblong ellipsoid capsule 4 to 5 millimeters long, typically containing one seed per chamber.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 16 sympatric species; clustered heads and reddish-purple tubes with darker rings
Habitat and range
Habitat: Shale barrens, open hillsides, ridge tops, flats, floodplains, dry washes, disturbed areas, generally in chaparral, grassland, savannah, woodland, forest
Elevation: 320-1610 m
California counties: Kern, Tulare, Lake, Fresno, Trinity, Colusa, Shasta, Tehama, Glenn, Santa Clara, Stanislaus
Bloom period
Eriastrum tracyi blooms May-Jun.
Conservation status
CNPS 3.2
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 tracyi native to California?
Yes. Eriastrum tracyi is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Eriastrum tracyi bloom?
Eriastrum tracyi blooms May-Jun.
Where in California does Eriastrum tracyi grow?
Eriastrum tracyi occurs in Kern, Tulare, Lake, Fresno, Trinity, Colusa, Shasta, Tehama and other counties, at elevations of 320-1610 m.
What plant family does Eriastrum tracyi belong to?
Eriastrum tracyi is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Eriastrum.
Is Eriastrum tracyi rare or endangered?
Eriastrum tracyi carries California Rare Plant Rank 3.2, state rank S3.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Eriastrum virgatum — Wand woolly-star
- Eriastrum wilcoxii — Wilcox's woolly-star
- Eriastrum abramsii — Abrams' woolly-star
- Eriastrum brandegeeae — Brandegee's eriastrum
- Eriastrum calocyanum — Pretty blue woolly-star
- Eriastrum densifolium — Perennial woolly-star
- Gilia achilleifolia — California gilia
- Gilia achilleifolia subsp. achilleifolia
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.