Pectocarya recurvata
Arched-nut pectocarya
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native
Arched-nut pectocarya is a California native annual found in southern Sierra Nevada, northern Transverse Ranges, White and Inyo Mountains, and desert regions in creosote-bush scrub and Joshua-tree woodland at elevations of 10 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from February to May, this plant produces small white flowers in delicate, narrow clusters. Growing with ascending to erect stems 5 to 20 centimeters tall, it appears delicate and wispy in its desert and rocky habitats. Its leaves are narrow and sparse, adapting to the arid environments where it typically grows near rock shelters or at the bases of shrubs. The plant's distinctive fruit consists of tiny, linear nutlets that curl or curve distinctively, creating intricate shapes among its slender stems.
Habitat: Shelter of rocks, bases of shrubs, occasionally roadsides, creosote-bush scrub, Joshua-tree woodland
Bloom period: Feb-May
Elevation: 10-1600 m
Bioregions: s SN, n TR, W&I, D
California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo, San Diego, Riverside, Imperial, Los Angeles, Kern
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.