Rhinotropis intermontana

Intermountain milkwort, Intermountain Milkwort

Family: Polygalaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1

Intermountain milkwort is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) California native shrub found in the southern eastern Sierra Nevada in Mono County, specifically in pinyon and juniper woodland at elevations of 2,600 to 3,080 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces cream to green-winged flowers in small clusters of 1 to 7 blooms. Growing as a stiff-branched, occasionally mat-like shrub less than one meter tall, it features dense white twigs with an open, irregular structure. Its leaves range from 3 to 25 millimeters long, varying from linear to obovate, with incurved or appressed hairs that give the plant a distinctive texture. The fruit is small, measuring 3.5 to 5.8 millimeters and carried on slender pedicels.

Habitat: Pinyon/juniper woodland

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 2600-3080 m

Bioregions: SNE (Mono Co.)

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