Hartmaniella sierrae

Sierra starwort

Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Sierra starwort is a rare (CNPS 4.2) California native perennial found in northern and central Sierra Nevada Mountains in meadows and dry understory of mixed oak or conifer forest at elevations of 1,400 to 2,000 meters. Flowering during summer, this plant produces white flowers with delicate, subtle petals. Growing 9 to 27 centimeters tall with ascending to erect stems that are simple or branched and round in cross-section, it develops distinctive rhizomes with fleshy, vertical roots that enlarge toward their tips. Its leaves measure 7 to 35 millimeters long, appearing relatively uniform in size with smooth margins and a thick texture. The plant's seed structures are 3 to 3.4 millimeters long, with flower pedicels that become distinctively bent downward when fruiting.

Habitat: Meadows, dry understory of mixed oak or conifer forest

Bloom period: Summer

Elevation: 1400-2000 m

Bioregions: n&ampc SNH.

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