Plagiobothrys bracteatus
Bracted popcornflower, Bracted Popcornflower
(c) Don Loarie, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Plagiobothrys bracteatus (Bracted popcornflower) is a native California herb in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by bracts below middle, flat lance-ovate nutlets with high cross-ribs.
Bracted popcornflower is a California native annual found in northwestern California, the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, Sacramento Valley, northern San Joaquin Valley, central and southern coastal areas, San Pedro Martir Mountains, and western Mojave Desert in vernal pools, grasslands, coastal-sage scrub, and chaparral at elevations below 2,000 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces small white flowers with pale yellow appendages in delicate clusters. Growing with ascending or occasionally sprawling stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall that are covered in stiff, bulbous-based hairs, it forms dense or sparse clusters. Its basal leaves are lanceolate with bulbous-based hairs, while lower stem leaves extend 3 to 10 centimeters long. The tiny nutlets are lance-shaped, about 1 to 1.8 millimeters long, with intricate surface ridges and narrow, tubercled margins.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 53 sympatric species; bracts below middle, flat lance-ovate nutlets with high cross-ribs
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common. Vernal pools, wet places in grassland, coastal-sage scrub, chaparral
Elevation: < 2000 m
California counties: Placer, Lassen, Lake, San Joaquin, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Marin, Butte, Kern, Santa Clara, Monterey, Tehama, Napa, Alameda, Tulare, Colusa, Solano, Contra Costa, Glenn, Sonoma, Plumas, Mendocino, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, San Benito, Merced, Madera, Siskiyou, Yuba, Modoc, Amador, Mariposa, Sacramento, Trinity, Tuolumne, Humboldt, Shasta, Riverside, Stanislaus, El Dorado, Santa Cruz, Calaveras, Yolo, Del Norte, San Bernardino, Sutter
Outside California: southwestern Oregon, northwestern Mexico
Bloom period
Plagiobothrys bracteatus blooms Apr-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Cryptantha: Seeds have a raised ridge down the inner face, not a groove like Cryptantha.; vs Pectocarya: Seeds lack the comb-like marginal barbs of Pectocarya; attachment scar is raised.; vs Myosotis: Flowers are smaller and more tubular; Myosotis has wider, flatter blue flowers with yellow centers.; vs Nemophila: Nemophila has much larger, showier blue-white flowers and broader leaves.; vs Leptosiphon: Leptosiphon has needle-like divided leaves; Plagiobothrys has simple narrow leaves.
Frequently asked questions
Is Plagiobothrys bracteatus native to California?
Yes. Plagiobothrys bracteatus is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Plagiobothrys bracteatus bloom?
Plagiobothrys bracteatus blooms Apr-Jun.
Where in California does Plagiobothrys bracteatus grow?
Plagiobothrys bracteatus occurs in Placer, Lassen, Lake, San Joaquin, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Marin, Butte and other counties, at elevations of < 2000 m.
What plant family does Plagiobothrys bracteatus belong to?
Plagiobothrys bracteatus is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Plagiobothrys.
What habitat does Plagiobothrys bracteatus grow in?
Plagiobothrys bracteatus grows in Common. Vernal pools, wet places in grassland, coastal-sage scrub, chaparral.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Plagiobothrys canescens — Grey popcorn flower
- Plagiobothrys canescens var. canescens — Valley popcornflower
- Plagiobothrys canescens var. catalinensis — Santa catalina popcornflower
- Plagiobothrys chorisianus — Artist's popcornflower
- Plagiobothrys chorisianus var. chorisianus — Choris' popcornflower
- Plagiobothrys chorisianus var. hickmanii — Hickman's popcornflower
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.