Pityopus californicus

California pinefoot, California Pinefoot

Family: Ericaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

California pinefoot is a rare (CNPS 4.2) California native perennial found in northern coastal, Klamath Ranges, northern coastal ranges, southern Sierra Nevada, central coastal, and San Francisco Bay Area regions in mixed or conifer forest at elevations below 1,800 meters. Flowering from May to July, this unusual plant produces cream to pale yellow flowers emerging directly from the ground in small racemes or solitary blooms. Growing as a non-green, fleshy perennial without visible stems or leaves, it develops brittle roots that support delicate floral structures. Its flowers feature distinctive cream to yellow petals with a cylindric shape, densely hairy interior, and eight erect horseshoe-shaped anthers. The plant produces small berries less than one centimeter long containing numerous ovate seeds.

Habitat: Mixed or conifer forest

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: < 1800 m

Bioregions: NCo, KR, NCoRO, s SNH, CCo, SnFrB

California counties: Mendocino, Del Norte, Siskiyou, Humboldt, Kern, Marin, Fresno, Sonoma, Tulare

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