Plagiobothrys salsus

Desert popcornflower

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Desert popcornflower is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native annual found in northeastern Mojave Desert and northeastern Mono Plains in moist, saline mud flats and marshes at elevations of 610 to 1,410 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces small white flowers with yellow appendages in compact clusters. Growing with decumbent to erect stems 6 to 25 centimeters tall, it has sparse, stiff hairs and a delicate spreading form. Its cauline leaves are 3 to 6 centimeters long, covered in densely bulbous-based hairs that give the plant a distinctive texture. The tiny nutlets are compressed-lanceolate, shiny brown with irregular cross-ribs and an asymmetric shape.

Habitat: Moist, saline, alkaline mud flats, marshes

Bloom period: Mar-Jul

Elevation: 610-1410 m

Bioregions: ne MP, ne DMoj

California counties: Modoc, Inyo

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