Eucnide urens

Desert bush nettle

Family: Loasaceae · Type: annual · Native

Desert bush nettle is a California native annual found in the Mojave Desert bioregion in rocky habitats including cliffs, rocky slopes, and washes at elevations below 1,400 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces pale petals with a spreading arrangement. Growing 30 to 100 centimeters tall with an upright habit, it has stems supporting distinctive foliage. Its leaves are generally ovate, approximately 10 centimeters long, with irregular tooth edges and a dull gray-green coloration. The fruit develops as a club-shaped structure 10 to 20 millimeters long, borne on ascending pedicels.

Habitat: Cliffs, rocky slopes, washes

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 1400 m

Bioregions: D

California counties: Inyo, San Bernardino, Kern, Riverside

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