Hemitomes congestum

Coneplant

Family: Ericaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Coneplant is a native perennial found in northern coastal California, Klamath Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada, central Coast Ranges, and San Francisco Bay Area in mixed and conifer forests at elevations of 30 to 2,700 meters. Flowering from May to July, this unusual plant produces cream or pink flowers in dense clusters emerging directly from the ground, with flowers 2 to 10 centimeters tall. Growing as a non-green, fleshy perennial with brittle rhizomes, it lacks visible stems or leaves above ground. Its flowers are distinctive, with a cylindric to flask-shaped corolla densely hairy inside, featuring 4 partially fused petals and 8 hairy stamens. The plant produces small berries less than one centimeter long, containing numerous ovate seeds.

Habitat: Uncommon. Mixed or conifer forests

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 30-2700 m

Bioregions: NCo, KR, NCoRO, CaRH, n&amps SNH, CCo, SnFrB, SCoRO

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