Nemacaulis denudata

Cottonheads

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: annual · Native

Cottonheads is a California native annual found in coastal sand dunes and coastal scrub habitats along the western California coast. Flowering from April to September, this delicate plant produces white to rose-colored flowers small and clustered in terminal cyme-like arrangements. Growing prostrate to erect with stems 4 to 25 centimeters tall and spreading up to 8 centimeters wide, it has a distinctively sprawling growth habit. Its linear leaves are narrow, measuring 1 to 8 centimeters long and only 0.1 to 1.5 centimeters wide, growing primarily at the plant's base. The tiny fruit is brown to deep maroon or black, measuring just 1 millimeter long with a curved embryo.

California counties: San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo

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