Plectritis congesta subsp. brachystemon

Family: Valerianaceae · Type: annual · Native

White-flowered plectritis is a California native annual found in the California Floristic Province and Modoc Plateau in coastal bluffs and partly shaded slopes at elevations below 1,900 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces uniformly white to pale pink flowers with delicate radial or slightly two-lipped corollas measuring 1.5 to 3.5 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems, the plant develops compact clusters of small blossoms with minute floral spurs. Its flowers feature tiny undehisced anthers less than 0.7 millimeters in length, creating intricate and subtle botanical details. The plant thrives in open coastal environments, characteristic of California's diverse annual wildflower communities.

Habitat: Common. Coastal bluffs, open, partly shaded slopes

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: < 1900 m

Bioregions: CA-FP, MP

California counties: Mendocino, Humboldt, Kern, Tulare, Marin, Lake, El Dorado, Santa Clara, Shasta, Contra Costa, San Diego, Glenn, Trinity, Siskiyou, Modoc, Stanislaus, Lassen, Del Norte, Santa Cruz, San Bernardino, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Plumas, Colusa, Butte, San Mateo, San Luis Obispo, Calaveras, Napa, Yolo, Tehama, Sonoma

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