Navarretia gowenii

Lime ridge navarretia, Lime Ridge Navarretia

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Lime ridge navarretia is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in the San Joaquin Valley (Stanislaus County) and San Francisco Bay Area (Contra Costa County) on clay and serpentine soils at elevations of 200 to 300 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces delicate white to cream flowers with distinctive purple spots at the base of the flower lobes, measuring 8 to 10 millimeters long. Growing 5 to 30 centimeters tall with tan to red-brown stems that have ascending glandular branches, it develops a complex 2-pinnate-lobed leaf structure with linear axes and many-toothed linear to lanceolate leaf tips. Its leaves are glandular-hairy with 2 to 3 deeply lobed cotyledons, creating an intricate botanical profile. The flower's bracts are glandular-hairy, with outer bracts expanded at the base and narrowing toward the tip, giving the plant a distinctive and delicate appearance.

Habitat: Clay, serpentine soils

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 200-300 m

Bioregions: SnJV (Stanislaus Co.), SnFrB (Contra Costa Co.).

California counties: Contra Costa, Stanislaus, San Benito

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