Harpagonella palmeri

Palmer's grapplinghook

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Palmer's grapplinghook is a California native perennial found in southern California, the Peninsular Ranges, and southwestern desert regions in open chaparral, coastal scrub, and grassland habitats at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from January to May, this plant produces small flowers with delicate white to pale lavender petals. Growing with slender stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms compact clusters in open landscapes. Its leaves are typically small, narrow, and arranged alternately along the stem, with a subtle grayish-green coloration. The fruit is distinctively covered with hooked prickles 1.5 to 3.2 millimeters long, giving the plant its unique "grapplinghook" name.

Habitat: Open sites in chaparral, coastal scrub, grassland, often on clay soils

Bloom period: Jan-May

Elevation: < 1000 m

Bioregions: SCo, PR, sw DSon

California counties: Riverside, San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange, Alpine

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