Lappula redowskii var. redowskii

Western stickseed, Western Stickseed

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Western stickseed is a California native annual found in the Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, San Jacinto Mountains, Great Basin, and Desert Mountains in dry, open, rocky, often disturbed sites at elevations of 1,300 to 3,300 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces small white flowers in delicate, curved clusters along thin stems. Growing with slender, branching stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall, it forms open, somewhat sprawling patches. Its leaves are narrow and lance-shaped, becoming smaller and more sparse toward the top of the plant, with lower leaves measuring 3 to 7 centimeters long. The fruit features distinctive marginal prickles on the nutlets that are slightly wider at the base and partially fused.

Habitat: Dry, open, rocky, often disturbed sites

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 1300-3300 m

Bioregions: SNH, SnBr, SnJt, GB, DMtns

California counties: San Bernardino, Mono, Inyo, Alpine

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