Kallstroemia californica

California caltrop

Family: Zygophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

California caltrop is a California native annual found in the southern desert bioregion in flat, sandy, or disturbed areas at elevations below 600 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces small yellow flowers 3 to 5 millimeters long. Growing prostrate to decumbent with stems less than 70 centimeters long, it spreads across the ground with a strigose to glabrous surface. Its compound leaves have 6 to 12 leaflets with small stipules 1.5 to 5 millimeters long. The fruit is a small ovoid structure 3 to 5 millimeters wide.

Habitat: Flat, sandy or disturbed areas

Bloom period: Aug-Oct

Elevation: < 600 m

Bioregions: D

California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Imperial, El Dorado, Stanislaus, Kern

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