Hesperevax acaulis var. ambusticola

Fire evax

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Fire evax is a California native annual found in southern North Coast Ranges, central and southern Sierra Nevada foothills, southern Sierra Nevada, southwestern San Joaquin Valley, eastern San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, Santa Barbara and southern California coastal areas in clearings, barren slopes, and burned landscapes at elevations of 200 to 1,300 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces small white flowers in tiny heads 2 to 2.5 millimeters wide. Growing with multiple prostrate stems just 0.5 to 2 centimeters tall, it forms delicate ground-hugging clusters. Its leaves are small and distinctive, typically 4 to 7 millimeters long, with obovate to rounded blades that spread outward from the stem. In areas recently burned, this diminutive annual creates delicate ground cover with its compact, spreading growth form.

Habitat: Clearings, barren slopes, burns

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 200-1300 m

Bioregions: s NCoRI, n&ampc SNF, s SNH, sw SnJV, e SnFrB, SCoR, SnGb/SCo, nw PR (exc SnJt).

California counties: Santa Clara, San Diego, Butte, Tehama, Tuolumne, Fresno, San Luis Obispo, Mendocino, Santa Barbara, Lake, Calaveras, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito

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