Pectocarya anisocarpa

Unequal-fruited pectocarya

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Unequal-fruited pectocarya is a California native annual found in desert scrub, grassland, chaparral openings, oak woodland, and disturbed habitats across California at elevations of 90 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces tiny white flowers with a delicate corolla less than 1.5 millimeters in diameter. Growing with prostrate to decumbent stems 4 to 30 centimeters long, it spreads low across the ground in open landscapes. Its leaves are small and inconspicuous, characteristic of its delicate desert and grassland habitats. The distinctive fruit features unequal nutlets with winged margins, often bearing hook-tipped bristles that help distinguish this subtle annual from other similar plants.

Habitat: Disturbed habitats, desert scrub, grassland, chaparral openings, oak woodland, roadsides, washes

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: 90-1500 m

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