Nemacladus capillaris

Common nemacladus

Family: Campanulaceae · Type: annual · Native

Common nemacladus is a California native annual found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, northern Sierra Nevada foothills, Sierra Nevada, southern Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, and Modoc Plateau in dry slopes, burned areas, and volcanic outcrops at elevations of 400 to 2,100 meters. Flowering from May to July, this delicate plant produces white flowers with hints of pale pink or orange at the tips of its petals, arranged on thin, zigzag stems. Growing 7 to 18 centimeters tall with stiffly ascending stems, it has small ovate leaves 3 to 15 millimeters long that narrow abruptly to short petioles. Its leaves are glabrous or slightly hairy, with an elegant, slender form that allows it to thrive in harsh, dry environments. The fruit is a narrow, obconic capsule 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters long, containing tiny seeds with intricate zigzag ridges.

Habitat: Dry slopes, burned areas, volcanic outcrops

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 400-2100 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoR, CaR, n SNF, SNH, SCoRO, WTR, MP

California counties: Modoc, Lake, Napa, Plumas, Tuolumne, San Bernardino, Lassen, Trinity, Tehama, Mendocino, Colusa, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Fresno, Shasta, Inyo, Butte, Placer, Monterey, Humboldt, El Dorado, Tulare, San Diego, Merced, San Luis Obispo, Sierra

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