Myosurus cupulatus

Arizona mousetail

Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: annual · Native

Arizona mousetail is a California native annual found in the eastern desert mountains on dry hillsides or canyon bottoms at elevations of 350 to 1,700 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small white to greenish flowers arranged on slender scapes rising above its low-growing foliage. Growing with delicate stems 3 to 16 centimeters tall, it forms compact clusters close to the ground. Its tiny leaves are arranged in a basal rosette, creating a low, understated profile in its arid habitat. The fruit develops as a distinctive round aggregate with a slight ridge, featuring a short divergent beak that extends slightly from the leaf cluster.

Habitat: dry hillsides or canyon bottoms in scrub

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 350-1700 m

Bioregions: e DMtns

California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo

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