Gayophytum eriospermum

Coville's gayophytum

Family: Onagraceae · Type: annual · Native

Coville's gayophytum is a California native annual found in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains in open montane forest at elevations of 100 to 3,200 meters. Flowering from June to October, this delicate plant produces small white to pale pink flowers 4 to 8 millimeters long with petals that emerge from forked branches near the stem's upper portions. Growing with slender stems less than one meter tall, it develops branches primarily in the upper stem sections. Its leaves are relatively long, measuring 2 to 7.5 centimeters, and become progressively smaller and more reduced towards the stem's upper regions. The plant produces distinctive fruits 4 to 16 millimeters long that are slightly knobby and typically longer than their supporting pedicels.

Habitat: Open montane forest

Bloom period: Jun-Oct

Elevation: 100-3200 m

Bioregions: SN (s of Placer Co.).

California counties: Fresno, Tuolumne, Tulare, Kern, Amador, Madera, Mariposa, Siskiyou, San Bernardino, Inyo, Alpine, El Dorado, Calaveras, Plumas

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