Pectocarya platycarpa
Wide-toothed pectocarya, Wide-Toothed Pectocarya
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native
Wide-toothed pectocarya is a California native annual found in southwestern, western and inner coast ranges, and desert bioregions in washes, roadsides in creosote-bush scrub, and Joshua-tree woodland at elevations below 1,600 meters. Flowering from February to May, this plant produces white flowers in delicate, narrow clusters. Growing with ascending to erect stems 4 to 25 centimeters tall, it develops distinctive linear to spoon-shaped nutlets with margins where teeth are fused at the base. Its leaves are small and sparse, supporting the plant's slender profile in arid landscapes. The nutlets, measuring 2.5 to 4.5 millimeters long, are slightly recurved and create a unique structural pattern along the stem.
Habitat: Washes, roadsides in creosote-bush scrub, Joshua-tree woodland
Bloom period: Feb-May
Elevation: < 1600 m
Bioregions: SW, W&I, D
California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo, San Diego, Kern, Imperial, Los Angeles, San Benito
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.