Petrorhagia nanteuilii
Proliferous pink
(c) Guillermo Debandi, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Petrorhagia nanteuilii (Proliferous pink) is a non-native California herb in the Caryophyllaceae family.
Proliferous pink is a naturalized annual found in southern North Coast Ranges in Sonoma and Lake counties, and in the Peninsular Ranges in San Diego County, growing in disturbed areas and roadsides at elevations of 200 to 550 meters. Flowering from late spring to summer, this plant produces delicate pink to purple flowers with darker veins, petals slightly two-lobed and obcordate. Growing 21 to 52 centimeters tall with erect stems that have minutely hairy lower and middle internodes, it develops a distinctive branching habit. Its narrow linear leaves are 10 to 25 millimeters long, with leaf sheaths 1.5 to 2 times longer than their width. Small seeds are approximately 1.5 to 1.8 millimeters long with a distinctively tubercled surface.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; key differentiators are minutely hairy stems, smaller leaf sheaths, and tubercled seeds
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed areas, roadsides
Elevation: 200-550(1417) m
California counties: Sonoma, San Diego
Outside California: British Columbia, native to southwestern Europe, northwestern Africa
Bloom period
Petrorhagia nanteuilii blooms Late spring-summer.
How to tell it apart
vs Dianthus: Petrorhagia has wide papery reddish-brown bracts (5-12mm); Dianthus has narrow green pointed bracts.; vs Silene: Petrorhagia has papery reddish bracts surrounding flowers; Silene lacks involucral bracts around flowers.; vs Geranium: Petrorhagia has tubular flowers with papery bracts; Geranium has flat 5-petaled flowers and beaked fruits.; vs Erodium: Petrorhagia has tubular flowers with papery bracts; Erodium has flat flowers and long-beaked stork's-bill fruits.; vs Gypsophila: Petrorhagia has conspicuous wide papery brown bracts; Gypsophila lacks bracts and has airy flower masses.
Frequently asked questions
Is Petrorhagia nanteuilii native to California?
No. Petrorhagia nanteuilii is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Petrorhagia nanteuilii bloom?
Petrorhagia nanteuilii blooms Late spring-summer.
Where in California does Petrorhagia nanteuilii grow?
Petrorhagia nanteuilii occurs in Sonoma, San Diego, at elevations of 200-550(1417) m.
What plant family does Petrorhagia nanteuilii belong to?
Petrorhagia nanteuilii is in the Caryophyllaceae family, genus Petrorhagia.
What habitat does Petrorhagia nanteuilii grow in?
Petrorhagia nanteuilii grows in Disturbed areas, roadsides.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.