Lithophragma heterophyllum

Hill star

Family: Saxifragaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Hill star is a California native perennial found in northern Coast Ranges, southern North Coast Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada foothills, San Francisco Bay Area, and southern Coast Ranges in shaded slopes at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from February to June, this plant produces delicate white flowers with three-lobed petals 5 to 12 millimeters long. Growing 15 to 50 centimeters tall with an upright habit, it forms clusters of 3 to 12 flowers on slender stems. Its basal leaves are distinctively lobed, typically divided into 3 to 5 segments with rounded teeth, creating a soft, intricate leaf structure. The plant produces spiny seeds and features unique axillary bulblets on its distal bracts, adding to its botanical complexity.

Habitat: Shaded slopes

Bloom period: Feb-Jun

Elevation: < 1500 m

Bioregions: NCoRO, s NCoRI (Solano, Napa cos.), n SNH (Calaveras Co.), SnFrB, SCoR.

California counties: Fresno, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Napa, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, San Benito, Solano, Humboldt, Sonoma, Lake, Siskiyou, Marin, Butte, San Mateo, Monterey, Alameda, Mendocino, Mariposa, Stanislaus, Tulare, Contra Costa, Trinity, Santa Cruz, Madera, Kern, Santa Barbara, Sierra, Glenn, San Francisco, Shasta, Tuolumne, Sacramento, Plumas, Tehama, Sutter, El Dorado, Calaveras, Del Norte, Colusa, Riverside, Amador, Yuba, Yolo, Orange

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