Petrorhagia prolifera
Proliferous pink
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Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Petrorhagia prolifera (Proliferous pink) is a non-native California herb in the Caryophyllaceae family.
Proliferous pink is a naturalized annual found in central Sierra Nevada Foothills in Mariposa County's disturbed areas at approximately 400 meters elevation. Flowering during summer, this plant produces pink to pale purple flowers with petals that are truncate or shallowly notched. Growing with erect stems 6 to 60 centimeters tall, its stems are glabrous or slightly scabrous in the middle sections. Its leaves are linear to lance-linear, 12 to 30 millimeters long, with leaf sheaths approximately equal in length and width. The small seeds are 1.1 to 1.8 millimeters long with a distinctive net-like surface texture.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; key differentiators are smooth stems, tiny leaf sheaths, single-veined petals, and net-patterned seeds
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed areas
Elevation: +- 400 m.
Outside California: British Columbia, Oregon, Idaho, eastern North America, native to central and southern Eurasia
Bloom period
Petrorhagia prolifera blooms 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 prolifera native to California?
No. Petrorhagia prolifera is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Petrorhagia prolifera bloom?
Petrorhagia prolifera blooms Summer.
What plant family does Petrorhagia prolifera belong to?
Petrorhagia prolifera is in the Caryophyllaceae family, genus Petrorhagia.
What habitat does Petrorhagia prolifera grow in?
Petrorhagia prolifera grows in Disturbed areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.