Lewisia disepala

Yosemite lewisia

Family: Montiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Yosemite lewisia is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada Mountains on exposed mountain summits, granite areas, and subalpine conifer forests at elevations of 1,340 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from February to June, this plant produces pale rose-pink flowers with 5 to 9 delicate petals 10 to 18 millimeters long. Growing in dense rosettes with stems less than 1 centimeter tall, it forms compact clusters close to the ground. Its succulent leaves are clustered in tight rosettes, 0.5 to 2 centimeters long, linear or club-shaped with blunt tips and a fleshy texture. The plant's unique flower structure features two petal-like sepals and emerges directly from a compact leaf rosette.

Habitat: Sand, granite of exposed mountain summits, knobs, subalpine conifer forest, alpine fell-fields

Bloom period: Feb-Jun

Elevation: 1340-3500 m

Bioregions: c&amps SNH.

California counties: Kern, Tulare, Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, Tuolumne

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