Myosurus minimus
Common mouse tail
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Ranunculaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Myosurus minimus (Common mouse tail) is a native California herb in the Ranunculaceae family, recognized by fruit shape and beak orientation.
Common mouse tail is a California native annual found in California Floristic Province and Great Basin bioregions in wet fields, vernal pools, streambanks, and lake shores at elevations up to 2,100 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces small white to green flowers in delicate, elongated scapes rising above tiny leaves. Growing with slender stems 4 to 16.5 centimeters tall, it forms compact clusters close to the ground. Its leaves are narrow and grasslike, emerging in a low rosette pattern around the distinctive elongated fruiting structure. The fruit develops as a narrow, rhombic aggregate up to 50 millimeters long, with tiny beaked segments characteristic of this unusual species.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 3 sympatric species; distinguished by fruit shape and beak orientation
Habitat and range
Habitat: Wet fields, vernal pools, streambanks, lake shores
Elevation: < 2100 m
California counties: Lassen, Merced, Contra Costa, Fresno, Sutter, Shasta, Mono, Tehama, Siskiyou, Los Angeles, Alameda, Stanislaus, San Luis Obispo, Butte, San Joaquin, Kern, Plumas, Kings, Lake, Santa Cruz, Tulare, Monterey, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Sacramento, El Dorado, Marin, Colusa, Tuolumne, Nevada, Solano, Yolo, Modoc, Mendocino, Placer, Santa Clara, San Benito, Trinity, Sierra, San Francisco, Glenn, Sonoma, Alpine, Mariposa, Inyo, Napa, Madera, Humboldt, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Ventura
Outside California: to British Columbia, eastern United States, Baja California, Europe, Asia, northern Africa
Bloom period
Myosurus minimus blooms Apr-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Triglochin: Myosurus has distinctive elongated cone-shaped fruiting heads; Triglochin has slender spikes of scale-like flowers.; vs Typha: Myosurus is a tiny annual inches tall; Typha is a robust perennial several feet tall with brown flower heads.; vs Sparganium: Myosurus has cone-shaped receptacles on single stems; Sparganium has round, burr-like heads in branched clusters.; vs Juncus: Myosurus is an annual with elongated fruiting cones; Juncus is perennial with round capsules in branched clusters.
Frequently asked questions
Is Myosurus minimus native to California?
Yes. Myosurus minimus is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Myosurus minimus bloom?
Myosurus minimus blooms Apr-Jun.
Where in California does Myosurus minimus grow?
Myosurus minimus occurs in Lassen, Merced, Contra Costa, Fresno, Sutter, Shasta, Mono, Tehama and other counties, at elevations of < 2100 m.
What plant family does Myosurus minimus belong to?
Myosurus minimus is in the Ranunculaceae family, genus Myosurus.
What habitat does Myosurus minimus grow in?
Myosurus minimus grows in Wet fields, vernal pools, streambanks, lake shores.
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.