Montia diffusa
Diffuse miner's lettuce
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Berger · licence
Family: Montiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Montia diffusa (Diffuse miner's lettuce) is a native California herb in the Montiaceae family, recognized by diffuse branching, deltate leaves with cordate bases, low elevation.
Diffuse miner's lettuce is a California native annual found in northwestern California, northern Sierra Nevada, and San Francisco Bay Area regions in disturbed or burned conifer forest and mixed woodland at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from May to July, this delicate plant produces pink or white flowers in small clusters of 3 to 10 blossoms. Growing with erect and diffuse-branched stems 5 to 20 centimeters tall, it spreads in a loose, open pattern. Its leaves vary from basal to cauline, with lanceolate to deltate blades 8 to 50 millimeters long, featuring wedge-shaped to heart-shaped bases and acute to obtuse tips. Each tiny flower has white or pink petals 3 to 4.5 millimeters long, accompanied by widely obovate sepals.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species; distinguished by diffuse branching, deltate leaves with cordate bases, low elevation
Habitat and range
Habitat: Often disturbed or burned conifer forest, mixed woodland
Elevation: < 1000 m
California counties: Humboldt, Butte, Del Norte, Marin, Mendocino, Siskiyou, Shasta, Lake
Outside California: to British Columbia
Bloom period
Montia diffusa blooms May-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Claytonia: Montia has multiple alternate stem leaves and one-sided flowers; Claytonia has exactly 2 opposite or fused stem leaves.; vs Lewisia: Montia has thin stems with alternate leaves in wet areas; Lewisia forms tight succulent rosettes on rocks.; vs Hesperochiron: Montia has small clustered flowers on stems; Hesperochiron has large solitary flowers from basal rosettes.; vs Galium: Montia has alternate succulent leaves and white flowers; Galium has whorled thin leaves and square stems.; vs Cistanthe: Montia has white/pink flowers with multiple stem leaves; Cistanthe has 5 petals with yellow anthers only on coast.
Frequently asked questions
Is Montia diffusa native to California?
Yes. Montia diffusa is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Montia diffusa bloom?
Montia diffusa blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Montia diffusa grow?
Montia diffusa occurs in Humboldt, Butte, Del Norte, Marin, Mendocino, Siskiyou, Shasta, Lake, at elevations of < 1000 m.
What plant family does Montia diffusa belong to?
Montia diffusa is in the Montiaceae family, genus Montia.
What habitat does Montia diffusa grow in?
Montia diffusa grows in Often disturbed or burned conifer forest, mixed woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.