Hollisteria lanata

False spikeflower

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: annual · Native

False spikeflower is a California native annual found in southern San Joaquin Valley and southern Coastal Range Interior on sandy, clay, or gravelly sites at elevations of 10 to 1,000 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces delicate yellow flowers tiny and tucked within narrow involucre bracts. Growing prostrate to decumbent with a spread of 30 to 80 centimeters, it has a soft, woolly (tomentose) texture across its stems and foliage. Its alternate leaves measure 1 to 5 centimeters long, featuring spiny-tipped blades covered in dense, soft hairs that give the plant a fuzzy appearance. The fruit is small, obconic, and transitions from brown to black when mature.

Habitat: Sand, clay or gravel

Bloom period: Mar-Jul

Elevation: 10-1000 m

Bioregions: s SnJV, SCoRI.

California counties: Kern, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Merced, San Benito, Madera

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