Eriastrum wilcoxii
Wilcox's woolly-star
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Eriastrum wilcoxii (Wilcox's woolly-star) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by 3-7 lobed leaves and diamond-shaped non-slimy seeds.
Wilcox's woolly-star is a California native annual found in the Sierra Nevada, Great Basin, and northern Desert Mountains in open flats, slopes, and dry washes at elevations of 850 to 2,675 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces delicate white to pale blue flowers with occasional reddish or purplish lines, with blossoms 9 to 14 millimeters long that have blue to pale blue lobes. Growing with erect, branched stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it develops a distinctively woolly appearance that becomes less hairy with maturity. Its leaves are 15 to 30 millimeters long, typically woolly and divided into 3 to 7 narrow linear lobes, with lower leaves sometimes remaining entire. The fruit is a small capsule approximately 3 to 4 millimeters long, containing seeds that are tan and diamond-shaped.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 22 sympatric species; 3-7 lobed leaves and diamond-shaped non-slimy seeds
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open flats, slopes, dry washes, ditches, alkali areas, disturbed areas, in grassland, scrub, woodland
Elevation: 850-2675 m
California counties: Inyo, Mono, San Bernardino, Nevada, Fresno, Tulare, Plumas, Kern, Lassen, Alpine, Siskiyou
Outside California: to Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada
Bloom period
Eriastrum wilcoxii blooms May-Jul.
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 wilcoxii native to California?
Yes. Eriastrum wilcoxii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Eriastrum wilcoxii bloom?
Eriastrum wilcoxii blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Eriastrum wilcoxii grow?
Eriastrum wilcoxii occurs in Inyo, Mono, San Bernardino, Nevada, Fresno, Tulare, Plumas, Kern and other counties, at elevations of 850-2675 m.
What plant family does Eriastrum wilcoxii belong to?
Eriastrum wilcoxii is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Eriastrum.
What habitat does Eriastrum wilcoxii grow in?
Eriastrum wilcoxii grows in Open flats, slopes, dry washes, ditches, alkali areas, disturbed areas, in grassland, scrub, woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Eriastrum abramsii — Abrams' woolly-star
- Eriastrum brandegeeae — Brandegee's eriastrum
- Eriastrum calocyanum — Pretty blue woolly-star
- Eriastrum densifolium — Perennial woolly-star
- Eriastrum densifolium subsp. austromontanum — Mountain woolly-star
- Eriastrum densifolium subsp. densifolium — Perennial woolly-star
- Gilia achilleifolia — California gilia
- Gilia achilleifolia subsp. achilleifolia
- Gilia achilleifolia subsp. multicaulis
- Gilia aliquanta — Puffcalyx gilia
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.