Hesperolinon clevelandii

Allen springs dwarf flax

Family: Linaceae · Type: annual · Native

Allen springs dwarf flax is a California native annual found in northern and central California Coast Ranges, including San Francisco Bay Area, in chaparral margins and oak woodlands on serpentine soils at elevations of 150 to 1,400 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces tiny yellow flowers less than 2 millimeters long in unequally forked inflorescences. Growing with slender stems 5 to 20 centimeters tall and nearly smooth throughout, it has a delicate, compact structure. Its leaves are linear and alternate, arranged sparsely along the thin stems. The plant's diminutive yellow flowers and preference for serpentine soils make it a distinctive component of California's specialized chaparral ecosystems.

Habitat: Chaparral margins, oak woodland, often on serpentine

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 150-1400 m

Bioregions: NCoRO, c&amps NCoRI, s NCoRH, e SnFrB.

California counties: Mendocino, Lake, Stanislaus, Sonoma, Santa Clara, Napa, Solano, Alameda, Shasta

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