Navarretia leucocephala subsp. leucocephala

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

Navarretia leucocephala is a California native annual found in the northern Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, Great Valley, and Modoc Plateau in vernal pools at elevations below 2,100 meters. Flowering from April to May, this delicate plant produces white flowers with narrowly ovate corolla lobes in compact heads with distinctive elongated bracts more than twice the head length. Growing with slender stems 2 to 22 centimeters tall, it has an intricate branching structure with inflorescence lobes dividing into three to four branches. Its leaves and flower structures are characterized by intricate, finely divided formations that help the plant thrive in seasonal wetland environments. The plant's white flowers feature an exserted corolla tube and style, creating a distinctive appearance in the ephemeral landscape of vernal pools.

Habitat: Vernal pools

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: < 2100 m

Bioregions: NCoRO, CaR, SN, GV, MP

California counties: Sutter, Butte, Tehama, Placer, Yolo, Yuba, Shasta, Sacramento, Colusa, San Joaquin, Glenn, Stanislaus, Plumas, Modoc, Merced, Lassen, Solano, Napa, Fresno, Siskiyou, Mendocino, Amador, Calaveras

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