Parnassia fimbriata
Fringed grass of parnassus
Family: Parnassiaceae · Type: perennial · Native
Fringed grass of parnassus is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, Sierra Nevada, Warner Mountains, and White and Inyo Mountains in wet banks, meadows, and rocky seeps at elevations of 1,500 to 2,700 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces white flowers with distinctive deeply fringed petals 7 to 14 millimeters long. Growing with delicate stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall, it has a slender and graceful appearance. Its basal leaves are round to kidney-shaped, 1 to 5 centimeters wide, with a heart-shaped base, creating a soft green foundation for the plant's elegant flowers. The flower features intricate staminodes with unequal lobes and delicate fringed petals, making it a distinctive and charming species of mountain meadows.
Habitat: Uncommon. Wet banks, meadows, rocky seeps
Bloom period: Jul-Sep
Elevation: 1500-2700 m
Bioregions: KR, SNH, Wrn, W&I
California counties: Siskiyou, Sierra, Plumas, Modoc, Placer, Nevada, Trinity
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.