Hackelia amethystina

Amethyst stickseed

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Amethyst stickseed is a California native perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada Mountains in Plumas and Placer counties, growing in meadows, forest clearings, and roadsides at elevations of 1,370 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces blue flowers occasionally with pink at the center, spreading 7 to 12 millimeters in diameter. Growing with stems 40 to 80 centimeters tall and covered in soft spreading hairs less than one millimeter long, it forms dense clusters of delicate growth. Its basal leaves are narrow-elliptic, 10 to 30 centimeters long and 1.3 to 4 centimeters wide, with mid-stem leaves lance-shaped and slightly clasping at the base. The fruits develop small nutlets with 10 to 17 abaxial prickles, each 4 to 5 millimeters long.

Habitat: Meadows, forest clearings, roadsides, occasionally along streambanks

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: 1370-2200 m

Bioregions: NCoRH, n SNH (Plumas, Placer cos.).

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