Plagiobothrys glaber

Hairless popcornflower

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1A

Hairless popcornflower is a rare (CNPS 1A) California native annual found in central coastal California and southern San Francisco Bay areas, specifically around Hollister, in wet, saline coastal marshes at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces small white flowers approximately 3 millimeters in diameter with delicate white petals. Growing with ascending to erect stems 10 to 20 centimeters tall that are thick and hollow, it has a sparse and short-strigose appearance. Its cauline leaves are relatively small, measuring 2 to 11 millimeters long, with lower leaves positioned along the stem. The fruit consists of shiny, dark brown nutlets 1.8 to 2 millimeters long, with distinctive narrow ridges and subtle cross-ribs, representing one of the last known populations of this presumed nearly extinct species.

Habitat: Presumed extinct. Wet, saline, +- alkaline soils in valleys, coastal marshes

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: CCo, s SnFrB (Hollister).

California counties: San Benito, Alameda, Marin, Santa Clara

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