Oxytropis parryi
Parry's oxytrope
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Oxytropis parryi (Parry's oxytrope) is a native California herb in the Fabaceae family, recognized by distinctive mixed white and black hairs.
Parry's oxytrope is a California native perennial found in the central Sierra Nevada and eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, including White, Inyo, and Sweetwater Mountains, near timberline at elevations of 3,100 to 3,800 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces distinctive purple flowers in small clusters of 1 to 3 blossoms, each approximately 7 to 10 millimeters long. Growing as a dense, gray cushion-like clump with white and black silky hairs, it forms a compact mound 15 to 25 centimeters tall. Its basal leaves have 11 to 15 leaflets, each 2 to 12 millimeters long, folded and ranging from ovate to oblong in shape. The fruit is an ascending, leathery pod 15 to 20 millimeters long, slightly two-chambered and lanceolate to narrowly ovate.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated; distinctive mixed white and black hairs
Habitat and range
Habitat: Near timberline, above
Elevation: 3100-3800 m
California counties: Mono, Inyo
Outside California: to Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico
Bloom period
Oxytropis parryi blooms Jun-Jul.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
How to tell it apart
vs Astragalus: Oxytropis keel petal has sharp pointed beak; Astragalus keel is rounded or blunt.; vs Ornithopus: Oxytropis pods split open; Ornithopus pods break into bead-like segments.; vs Peteria: Oxytropis lacks spiny stipules; Peteria has conspicuous spines at leaf bases.; vs Marina: Oxytropis has beaked keel, loose clusters; Marina has rounded petals, dense 1cm spikes.; vs Acmispon: Oxytropis has beaked keel petal; Acmispon keel is rounded without beak.
Frequently asked questions
Is Oxytropis parryi native to California?
Yes. Oxytropis parryi is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Oxytropis parryi bloom?
Oxytropis parryi blooms Jun-Jul.
Where in California does Oxytropis parryi grow?
Oxytropis parryi occurs in Mono, Inyo, at elevations of 3100-3800 m.
What plant family does Oxytropis parryi belong to?
Oxytropis parryi is in the Fabaceae family, genus Oxytropis.
Is Oxytropis parryi rare or endangered?
Oxytropis parryi carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S4.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Oxytropis sp. — Locoweed
- Oxytropis borealis — Boreal locoweed
- Oxytropis borealis var. australis — Boreal locoweed
- Oxytropis borealis var. viscida — Sticky oxytrope
- Oxytropis deflexa var. sericea — Blue pendent-pod oxytrope
- Oxytropis oreophila
- Paraserianthes lophantha — Plume albizia
- Paraserianthes sp.
- Parkinsonia aculeata — Mexican palo verde
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.