Nicolletia occidentalis

Hole-in-the-sand plant

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Hole-in-the-sand plant is a California native perennial found on the eastern edge of the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains and Mojave Desert in deep sandy soils and washes at elevations of 600 to 1,525 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces pale pink to bright pink-purple ray flowers 4 to 9 millimeters long, surrounding disk flowers that transition from yellow at the base to purple or red at the tips. Growing with a deeply taprooted system and slender stems, it develops linear leaves with narrow, cylindric lobes. Its distinctive foliage features primary leaf axes that are typically two to three times wider than its linear lobes, creating a delicate, sparse appearance. The plant produces fruits 7 to 9 millimeters long, accompanied by pappus bristles and scales that add to its intricate botanical structure.

Habitat: Deep sandy soils, washes

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 600-1525 m

Bioregions: e edge s SNH, DMoj

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