Hesperolinon micranthum

Common dwarf flax

Family: Linaceae · Type: annual · Native

Common dwarf flax is a California native annual found in the California Floristic Province and North Coast Ranges in open areas and woodland margins at elevations of 50 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from March to August, this plant produces delicate white to pink flowers with subtle rose streaks, tiny petals measuring less than 4 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems 5 to 20 centimeters tall, it has an elegantly compact form with ascending to slightly pendulous flower stems. Its leaves are linear and alternate, creating a fine, sparse texture along the plant's slender branches. The flower's stamens range from 2 to 3 millimeters long, with anthers varying from white to deep purple.

Habitat: Open areas, woodland margins, occasionally on serpentine

Bloom period: Mar-Aug

Elevation: 50-2000 m

Bioregions: CA-FP, MP

California counties: Mendocino, El Dorado, Santa Barbara, Butte, Sonoma, Siskiyou, San Diego, Riverside, San Mateo, Shasta, Marin, Lassen, Kern, Modoc, Amador, Monterey, Plumas, San Benito, Tuolumne, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Lake, Nevada, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Trinity, Fresno, Los Angeles, Stanislaus, Alameda, Napa, Orange, Tulare, Mariposa, Placer, San Bernardino, Sierra, Kings, Yuba, Tehama, Alpine, Solano, Glenn, Yolo, Santa Clara, Colusa

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