Nemacladus pinnatifidus

Comb-leaved threadplant

Family: Campanulaceae · Type: annual · Native

Comb-leaved threadplant is a California native annual found in southern California, the San Gabriel Mountains, Peninsular Ranges, and desert regions in dry washes and chaparral at elevations of 300 to 1,520 meters. Flowering from May to June, this delicate plant produces white to faintly pink-tinged flowers tiny and intricate, with a bell-shaped corolla and reflexed petals. Growing with stiffly erect stems 6 to 20 centimeters tall, it branches many times from the base to below the middle. Its distinctive leaves are 5 to 20 millimeters long, oblanceolate and deeply pinnately lobed, narrowing to a long petiole with occasional teeth or entire margins. The fruit is a small hemispheric to ellipsoid capsule 3 to 4 millimeters long with an acute base and tip.

Habitat: Dry washes, burned areas, chaparral

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 300-1520 m

Bioregions: SCo, SnGb, PR, DSon

California counties: San Diego, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino

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