Horkelia tridentata
Three toothed horkelia
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Rosaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Horkelia tridentata (Three toothed horkelia) is a native California herb in the Rosaceae family, recognized by . Key feature: few (2-5), widely separated, 3-toothed leaflets.
Three toothed horkelia is a California native perennial found in rosetted, grayish habitats at elevations suitable for its growth. Flowering from spring to summer, this plant produces white to pale pink flowers in small clusters of 3 to 40 blooms. Growing with stems less than 45 centimeters tall and a compact, tufted form, it develops a sparse to moderately glandular appearance. Its leaves feature 2 to 5 leaflets on each side, typically elliptic to oblong in shape, with distinctive three-toothed edges on lower leaflets and a densely hairy lower surface. The plant forms a low, compact cluster with delicate, somewhat grayish foliage characteristic of its adaptive mountain or rocky environments.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 15 sympatric species. Key feature: few (2-5), widely separated, 3-toothed leaflets
Habitat and range
California counties: Trinity, Nevada, Shasta, Amador, Tehama, Butte, Calaveras, Plumas, Fresno, Tuolumne, Modoc, San Bernardino, Siskiyou, Placer, Mariposa, Tulare, Alpine, El Dorado, Mendocino, Humboldt, Madera, San Diego, Mono, Sierra, Yuba, Sacramento
How to tell it apart
vs Drymocallis: Horkelia has exactly 10 stamens and white-pink flowers; Drymocallis has 20+ stamens and yellow-white flowers.; vs Erodium: Horkelia has pinnate leaves and rose-family flowers; Erodium has lobed/divided leaves and long-beaked fruits.; vs Phacelia: Horkelia has rose-family flowers with separate petals; Phacelia has bell-shaped fused corollas with protruding stamens.; vs Potentilla: Horkelia has exactly 10 stamens and flattened filaments; Potentilla has 20+ stamens and thread-like filaments.; vs Ivesia: Horkelia has flat leaves with 2-15 separated leaflets; Ivesia has cylindrical bottlebrush leaves with overlapping leaflets.
Frequently asked questions
Is Horkelia tridentata native to California?
Yes. Horkelia tridentata is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Horkelia tridentata grow?
Horkelia tridentata occurs in Trinity, Nevada, Shasta, Amador, Tehama, Butte, Calaveras, Plumas and other counties.
What plant family does Horkelia tridentata belong to?
Horkelia tridentata is in the Rosaceae family, genus Horkelia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.