Plagiobothrys tener var. subglaber

Serpentine popcornflower, Serpentine Popcornflower

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Serpentine popcornflower is a California native annual found in northern Coast Range Interior regions including Lake and northern Napa counties in wet to moist meadows and ephemeral drainages within chaparral and woodland habitats, typically on serpentine substrate at elevations of 290 to 690 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces white flowers with corolla limbs 3 to 7 millimeters in diameter. Growing with prostrate to erect stems that are fleshy and slightly glaucous, it develops scattered stems that can range from low-growing to upright. Its leaves feature scattered hairs on the lower surface, with an overall delicate and sparse appearance. The tiny nutlets are tan to black, measuring 1.1 to 1.4 millimeters long with a narrow-ovate scar near the base.

Habitat: Wet to moist meadows, ephemeral drainages in chaparral, woodland, generally on serpentine

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 290-690 m

Bioregions: NCoRI (Lake, n Napa cos.).

California counties: Napa, Lake

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