Polycarpon tetraphyllum subsp. depressum

California allseed

Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

California allseed is a California native annual found in southern California coastal regions, Santa Catalina Island, and surrounding areas in bluffs, gravelly or sandy soil, and chaparral at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from spring to summer, this plant produces tiny, delicate white flowers that rarely open except after wet conditions. Growing with prostrate stems 1 to 6 centimeters long that mound together in moist environments, it forms low-spreading clusters across the landscape. Its leaves are small and somewhat succulent, measuring 3 to 7 millimeters long, with oblanceolate to obovate blades and delicate ovate stipules. The seeds are minutely granular, allowing the plant to persist in fragile coastal and disturbed habitats.

Habitat: Bluffs, gravelly or sandy soil, chaparral, fields, rarely low lying disturbed areas

Bloom period: Spring-summer

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: SCoRO, SCo, s ChI (Santa Catalina Island)

California counties: San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Lake, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Alameda, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Fresno

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