Lewisia glandulosa

Glandular lewisia

Family: Montiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Glandular lewisia is a California native perennial found in the central Sierra Nevada and eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains in granite sand, rock cracks, and wet meadows at elevations of 3,000 to 4,000 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces white, pink, or reddish flowers with 6 to 8 petals approximately 8 millimeters long, creating delicate blooms against rocky alpine landscapes. Growing with multiple slender stems 1 to 3.5 centimeters tall, it forms dense rosettes of thread-like leaves that persist even after withering. Its leaves are narrow and thread-like to lance-shaped, generally 2 to 10 centimeters long, with a distinctive fleshy expanded base and obtuse tips. The plant's bracts and sepals feature reddish or dark marginal glands, adding subtle textural complexity to its alpine habitat.

Habitat: Granite sand, rock cracks, wet meadows

Bloom period: Jul-Sep

Elevation: 3000-4000 m

Bioregions: c&amps SNH, SNE.

California counties: Inyo, Mono, Fresno, Tulare, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Madera

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