Polygonum polygaloides subsp. confertiflorum

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: annual · Native

Polygonum polygaloides is a California native annual herb found in northwestern California, northern Sierra Nevada, Cascade Range, and Modoc Plateau in vernal pools and wet meadows at elevations of 500 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces delicate white or red flowers in dense ovoid clusters 7 to 40 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems 2 to 15 millimeters tall, the plant forms compact clusters with linear bracts tightly appressed against the stem. Its small flowers feature a white or red perianth with three stamens, creating intricate clusters in wet habitats. The fruit is a small, lance-ovate brown to dark-brown seed with a net-like surface and subtle longitudinal ridges.

Habitat: Vernal pools, wet meadows

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 500-1900 m

Bioregions: NW, CaR, n SN, MP

California counties: Shasta, Lassen, Nevada, Modoc, Siskiyou, Lake, Placer, Alpine, Sierra, Humboldt, Mono, Plumas, Trinity, Tulare, Yuba, Mendocino, Tuolumne, Tehama, Kern, El Dorado

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