Nemacladus morefieldii

White mountains nemacladus, morefield's nemacladus

Family: Campanulaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS PPD

White mountains nemacladus is a California native annual found in volcanic and gravelly soils of the eastern California desert at elevations of 300 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from April to June, this delicate plant produces white flowers with maroon or orangish-brown shading on the petals, arranged in tiny, intricate clusters. Growing 4 to 14 centimeters tall with an erect, branching form from its base, the plant has a distinctive zigzag stem structure. Its leaves are small, diamond-shaped to nearly round, 3 to 8 millimeters long, with a felty or granular texture on the undersides and very short hairs on the upper surface. The flower is notable for its complex two-lipped structure, with two declined lower lobes and three erect upper lobes, creating an intricate botanical design.

Habitat: Volcanic and gravelly calcareous soil, shale talus, desert washes

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 300-2200 m

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