Limnanthes floccosa subsp. californica

Butte county meadowfoam, Butte County Meadowfoam

Family: Limnanthaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Butte county meadowfoam is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in the Sacramento Valley (Butte County) on vernal pool edges at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces white to cream flowers with petals 8 to 10 millimeters long, featuring distinctive hairy bases. Growing as a small, densely hairy herbage with delicate stems, it forms low-spreading clusters in seasonal wetland environments. Its leaves are finely divided and covered in soft, woolly hairs, creating a soft, textured appearance across the vernal pool margins. The fruit develops as small mericarps with widely conical tubercles, characteristic of this specialized meadowfoam species.

Habitat: Vernal pool edges

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: ScV (Butte Co.).

California counties: Placer, Butte

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