Gayophytum racemosum

Black foot gayophytum

Family: Onagraceae · Type: annual · Native

Black foot gayophytum is a California native annual found in the Sierra Nevada, southern Cascade Range, Tehachapi Mountains, western Transverse Ranges, and Warner Mountains in wet meadows and drying margins at elevations of 1,000 to 4,000 meters. Flowering from May to October, this delicate plant produces small white to pale pink flowers less than 2 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems up to 40 centimeters tall, it features multiple branches primarily emerging from the lower stem. Its leaves are relatively uniform, measuring 1 to 2.5 centimeters long and not significantly reduced along the stem. The fruit is distinctive, developing 10 to 15 millimeters long, flat and slightly grooved, with lateral seed-bearing valves that remain unattached.

Habitat: Wet meadows, drying margins

Bloom period: May-Oct

Elevation: 1000-4000 m

Bioregions: CaRH, SNH, Teh, WTR, Wrn

California counties: Modoc, Tuolumne, Lassen, Tulare, Plumas, Fresno, El Dorado, Madera, Ventura, Mono, Inyo, Butte, Placer, Siskiyou, Nevada, Kern, Los Angeles, Sierra, Mariposa, Trinity, Humboldt, Riverside, Shasta, San Bernardino, Alpine

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