Plagiobothrys greenei
Greene's spiny-nut popcornflower, Greene's Spiny-Nut Popcornflower
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Plagiobothrys greenei (Greene's spiny-nut popcornflower) is a native California herb in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by longest sepals (5-8mm), many slender barb-tipped prickles on nutlets.
Greene's spiny-nut popcornflower is a California native annual found in northern California bioregions including North Coast Ranges, Cascade Ranges, Sierra Nevada Foothills, northern Sierra Nevada, Sacramento Valley, and northern San Joaquin Valley in wet grasslands and woodlands at elevations below 900 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small white flowers with pale yellow appendages in delicate clusters. Growing with decumbent to erect stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall that are strigose (covered in straight, appressed hairs), it forms low-spreading or upright plants. Its cauline leaves are relatively small, measuring 1 to 5 centimeters long, with a delicate texture. The distinctive fruit features numerous slender, barb-tipped prickles covering ovate nutlets 1.5 to 3 millimeters long, giving the plant its unique "spiny-nut" character.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 41 sympatric species; longest sepals (5-8mm), many slender barb-tipped prickles on nutlets
Habitat and range
Habitat: Wet sites, grassland, woodland
Elevation: < 900 m
California counties: Solano, Butte, Nevada, Calaveras, Tulare, Shasta, Tehama, Placer, Yuba, Tuolumne, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Sacramento, Yolo, Colusa, Glenn, Merced, Madera, Amador, Stanislaus, El Dorado, Lake, Fresno, Napa, Mariposa, San Joaquin, Sutter, Kings
Outside California: southwestern Oregon
Bloom period
Plagiobothrys greenei blooms Mar-May.
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 greenei native to California?
Yes. Plagiobothrys greenei is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Plagiobothrys greenei bloom?
Plagiobothrys greenei blooms Mar-May.
Where in California does Plagiobothrys greenei grow?
Plagiobothrys greenei occurs in Solano, Butte, Nevada, Calaveras, Tulare, Shasta, Tehama, Placer and other counties, at elevations of < 900 m.
What plant family does Plagiobothrys greenei belong to?
Plagiobothrys greenei is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Plagiobothrys.
What habitat does Plagiobothrys greenei grow in?
Plagiobothrys greenei grows in Wet sites, grassland, woodland.
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.