Kallstroemia parviflora

Few flowered caltrop

Family: Zygophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Few flowered caltrop is a California native annual found in central peninsular ranges near Warner Hot Springs, San Diego County, and eastern Mojave Desert on sandy roadsides and slopes at elevations of 1,500 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces vibrant orange petals 6 to 12 millimeters long on delicate blossoms. Growing with prostrate to decumbent stems less than one meter long, the plant spreads low across sandy terrain with a strigose to glabrous surface. Its leaves feature 6 to 10 leaflets with small stipules 5 to 7 millimeters long, creating a fine, intricate foliage structure. The fruit is an ovoid shape 4 to 6 millimeters wide, with a style extending up to three times the fruit body.

Habitat: Uncommon. Sandy roadsides, slopes

Bloom period: Aug-Oct

Elevation: 1500-2000 m

Bioregions: c PR (near Warner Hot Springs, San Diego Co.), e DMoj, expected elsewhere

California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego

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