Limnanthes alba subsp. alba
Family: Limnanthaceae · Type: annual · Native
White meadowfoam is a California native annual found in southern North Coast Ranges, northern and central Sierra Nevada Foothills, and the Great Valley in winter-wet grassland and woodland habitats at elevations below 1,400 meters. Flowering from April to June, this delicate plant produces white flowers with petals 10 to 16 millimeters long that dry to a soft pink. Growing with sparsely to densely hairy herbage, it forms low-spreading plants that create a lacy, intricate ground cover. Its leaves are finely divided, creating a delicate, feathery texture across the landscape. The fruit is approximately 4 millimeters long with wide ridges, contributing to the plant's distinctive appearance.
Habitat: Winter-wet grassland, woodland
Bloom period: Apr-Jun
Elevation: < 1400 m
Bioregions: s NCoR, n&c SNF, GV
California counties: Placer, Butte, Yuba, Calaveras, El Dorado, Amador, Stanislaus, Sacramento, Tehama, Shasta, Tuolumne, Nevada, San Joaquin, Lake, Fresno, Sutter, Napa, Lassen
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.