Ivesia muirii
Granite mousetail
(c) Martin Purdy, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Rosaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Ivesia muirii (Granite mousetail) is a native California herb in the Rosaceae family, recognized by no sympatric species.
Granite mousetail is a California native perennial found in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains in rocky areas at elevations of 2,900 to 4,000 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces pale yellow flowers in small clusters 10 to 15 millimeters wide. Growing with tufted, silvery stems 5 to 15 centimeters tall and ascending to erect, it forms a simple caudex with a distinctive mousetail-like appearance. Its compact leaves have 25 to 40 tiny leaflet lobes per side, each less than 1 millimeter long and obovate to round, with densely hairy sheathing bases. The fruit is approximately 2 millimeters long, smooth with gray and red spotting.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated; no sympatric species
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky areas
Elevation: 2900-4000 m
California counties: Fresno, Mono, Tulare, Inyo, Tuolumne, Mariposa
Bloom period
Ivesia muirii blooms Jul-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Achillea: Ivesia has rose-like flowers with separate petals; Achillea has composite flower heads with ray and disk flowers.; vs Potentilla: Ivesia has cylindrical bottlebrush leaves with 4-80 tiny leaflets per side; Potentilla has flat leaves with spread-out leaflets.; vs Horkelia: Ivesia has cylindrical leaves with overlapping leaflets; Horkelia has flat leaves with 2-15 distinct, separated leaflets.; vs Eremogone: Ivesia has compound bottlebrush leaves; Eremogone has simple, needle-like or thread-like leaves.; vs Cryptantha: Ivesia has rose-family flowers with separate petals; Cryptantha has fused tubular corollas typical of borages.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ivesia muirii native to California?
Yes. Ivesia muirii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Ivesia muirii bloom?
Ivesia muirii blooms Jul-Aug.
Where in California does Ivesia muirii grow?
Ivesia muirii occurs in Fresno, Mono, Tulare, Inyo, Tuolumne, Mariposa, at elevations of 2900-4000 m.
What plant family does Ivesia muirii belong to?
Ivesia muirii is in the Rosaceae family, genus Ivesia.
What habitat does Ivesia muirii grow in?
Ivesia muirii grows in Rocky areas.
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.