Pectocarya penicillata

Northern pectocarya, Northern Pectocarya

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Northern pectocarya is a California native annual found in the California Floristic Province (excluding northern and central Coast Ranges), Mojave Desert, and Inyo and White Mountains in disturbed sites and roadsides at elevations of 90 to 2,100 meters. Flowering from February to May, this plant produces tiny white flowers in delicate clusters. Growing with prostrate to decumbent stems 2 to 25 centimeters long, it spreads close to the ground in open, disturbed landscapes. Its leaves are small and narrow, complementing the plant's low-growing habit. The fruit consists of distinctive nutlets with wavy margins and bristled tips, creating a delicate, intricate texture.

Habitat: Disturbed sites, roadsides

Bloom period: Feb-May

Elevation: 90-2100 m

Bioregions: CA-FP (exc NCo, CCo), MP (exc Wrn), W&ampI, D

California counties: Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Kern, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, San Benito, Contra Costa, Fresno, Tulare, Alameda, Monterey, Ventura, Lassen, Santa Barbara, Tehama, Lake, Inyo, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Siskiyou, Madera, Orange, Sacramento, Modoc, Glenn, Sutter, Butte, Merced, Trinity, Stanislaus, Colusa, Imperial, Santa Cruz, Napa, Humboldt, Shasta, Sonoma, El Dorado, Yolo, Tuolumne, Kings, Mono

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