Oxybasis rubra var. humilis
Red goosefoot
Family: Amaranthaceae · Type: Annual · Native
Oxybasis rubra var. humilis (Red goosefoot) is a native California annual in the Amaranthaceae family, recognized by key differences are growth habit and leaf margin compared to var. rubrum.
Oxybasis rubra var. humilis is a California native found across a wide range of bioregions including the North Coast Ranges, Cascade Ranges, Tehachapi, Great Valley, Central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, South Coast, Great Basin, and Desert Mojave, growing in open, saline places and drying mudflats below 1,100 meters. Flowering from August to October, it forms a low, prostrate to spreading plant 1 to 2 decimeters across with entire to shallowly toothed leaves and tiny seeds 0.6 to 0.8 millimeters in diameter.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 28 sympatric species; key differences are growth habit and leaf margin compared to var. rubrum
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, saline places, drying mudflats
Elevation: < 1100 m
Outside California: Eastern and Western US, Canada
Bloom period
Oxybasis rubra var. humilis blooms Aug--Oct.
How to tell it apart
vs Chenopodiastrum: Chenopodium has mealy coating; Chenopodiastrum is smooth to slightly hairy without mealy texture.; vs Atriplex: Chenopodium has perfect flowers; Atriplex has separate male/female flowers with paired bracts on fruits.; vs Blitum: Chenopodium has dry fruits; Blitum has fleshy, berry-like fruiting calyxes.; vs Amaranthus: Chenopodium has mealy coating; Amaranthus is smooth with dense bristly flower spikes.; vs Rumex: Chenopodium has 5-parted flowers in clusters; Rumex has 6-parted flowers in whorls.
Frequently asked questions
Is Oxybasis rubra var. humilis native to California?
Yes. Oxybasis rubra var. humilis is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Oxybasis rubra var. humilis bloom?
Oxybasis rubra var. humilis blooms Aug--Oct.
What plant family does Oxybasis rubra var. humilis belong to?
Oxybasis rubra var. humilis is in the Amaranthaceae family, genus Oxybasis.
What habitat does Oxybasis rubra var. humilis grow in?
Oxybasis rubra var. humilis grows in Open, saline places, drying mudflats.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Oxybasis rubra var. rubra — Red goosefoot
- Oxybasis salina — Oak leaved goosefoot
- Oxybasis chenopodioides — Low goosefoot
- Oxybasis macrosperma — Largeseed goosefoot
- Oxybasis rubra — Red pigweed
- Tidestromia eliassoniana — Eliasson's woolly tidestromia
- Tidestromia lanuginosa — Woolly tidestromia
- Tidestromia sp.
- Tidestromia suffruticosa var. oblongifolia — Honeysweet
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-08
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.