Frankenia palmeri

Palmer's frankenia

Family: Frankeniaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1

Palmer's frankenia is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) California native shrub found in southern California coastal regions in alkali flats, coastal marshes, and dunes at elevations below 450 meters. Flowering from April to September, this plant produces delicate white flowers with pink lower petals, small and clustered in the axils of its branches. Growing as a low, prostrate shrub 10 to 30 centimeters tall with scattered hairs, it spreads up to 100 centimeters in diameter. Its tiny leaves are extremely narrow, less than one millimeter wide, with strongly thickened margins tightly rolled under and densely hairy on the undersurface. The plant thrives in saline environments, with its compact, fleshy growth adapted to harsh coastal conditions.

Habitat: Alkali flats, coastal marshes, dunes

Bloom period: Apr-Sep

Elevation: < 450 m

Bioregions: SCo

California counties: San Diego, Colusa, Kings, Los Angeles, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Yolo, San Luis Obispo, Riverside

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