Parietaria hespera var. hespera
Rillita pellitory
Family: Urticaceae · Type: annual · Native
Rillita pellitory is a California native annual found in southern Sierra Nevada foothills, central Coast Ranges, southwestern California, southern Transverse and Peninsular Ranges, Mojave Desert (excluding mountains), and Sonoran Desert at elevations of 5 to 1,375 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces green to dark red-brown flowers in small, inconspicuous clusters. Growing with delicate stems typically 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it spreads in loose, sprawling clusters. Its leaves are distinctive, with narrow ovate to lanceolate blades that are longer than they are wide, typically found on older stems with a subtle variation in shape. In dry habitats like rocky slopes, oak woodlands, and desert scrub, this subtle annual blends seamlessly into its rugged landscapes.
Habitat: Rocky slopes, dry washes, in oak woodland, coastal scrub, chaparral, desert scrub
Bloom period: Mar-Jun
Elevation: 5-1375 m
Bioregions: s SNF, c&s CCo, SCoRO, SW, s W&I, DMoj exc DMtns, DSon
California counties: San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Los Angeles, Inyo, Orange, Kern, Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Imperial, Santa Cruz, Tulare, Alpine
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.