Lysimachia europaea

Arctic starflower, Arctic Starflower

Family: Myrsinaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Arctic starflower is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native perennial found in the North Coast bioregion near Crescent City in Del Norte County, specifically in bogs and wet areas at elevations generally below 10 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces delicate white flowers approximately 12 to 16 millimeters wide with (5-)7(-9) petals. Growing with erect stems 5 to 20 centimeters tall, it forms a distinctive whorl of leaves near the stem tip with a few alternate leaves along the stem. Its leaves range from 15 to 50 millimeters long, elliptic to obovate in shape, with proximal leaves becoming smaller and more scale-like. The plant produces a nearly spherical 5-valved fruit, completing its distinctive life cycle in these low-elevation coastal wetland environments.

Habitat: Bogs, wet areas

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: generally < 10 m

Bioregions: NCo (near Crescent City, Del Norte Co.)

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