Scopulophila rixfordii

Rixford rockwort, Rixford Rockwort

Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Rixford rockwort is a California native perennial found in the eastern Sierra Nevada, northern Mojave Desert, and southern Desert regions on limestone outcrops at elevations of 1,200 to 1,550 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces small white-margined green flowers around 2 to 4 millimeters long with distinctive green hypanthiums that brown with age. Growing with multiple branched stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, the plant has a unique growth pattern with a densely woolly base and glabrous upper portions. Its leaves are slightly fleshy, measuring 8 to 25 millimeters long, with a compact and succulent appearance. The seeds are tiny, approximately 1 millimeter long, ovoid, and marked with a distinctive red dot near the narrow end.

Habitat: Uncommon. Limestone outcrops

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 1200-1550 m

Bioregions: SNE, n DMoj, DSon

California counties: Inyo, San Bernardino

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