Plagiobothrys torreyi var. perplexans

Chaparral popcornflower

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Chaparral popcornflower is a California native annual found in central Sierra Nevada Mountains in chaparral habitats at elevations of 500 to 2,100 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces small white flowers approximately 2 to 3 millimeters in diameter with delicate, translucent petals. Growing with ascending to erect stems 5 to 30 centimeters tall, the plant has reddish staining hairs that spread across its slender structure. Its leaves form a basal rosette up to 8 centimeters long, with narrow-ovate cauline leaves that complement its delicate form. The fruit consists of small, grayish-brown nutlets with distinctive rounded cross-ribs and rows of translucent papillae.

Habitat: Uncommon. Gravelly soils in chaparral, +- fire follower

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 500-2100 m

Bioregions: c&amps SN.

California counties: Fresno, Kern, Tulare, Mariposa

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