Stylocline masonii

Mason's neststraw

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Mason's neststraw is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in southern Sierra Nevada Foothills, southern San Joaquin Valley, South Coast Ranges, and Western Transverse Ranges in open loose sandy washes and flats at elevations of 100 to 1,200 meters. Flowering from March to June, this delicate plant produces small white to cream-colored flower heads that are compact and fusiform in shape. Growing as a diminutive plant just 1 to 7 centimeters tall with slender stems, it forms low, sparse clusters in sandy terrain. Its leaves are small and narrow, with the largest distal leaves measuring 2 to 5 millimeters long and approximately 1 millimeter wide, appearing oblong to narrowly elliptic. The plant produces tiny compressed fruits about 1 millimeter long, with occasional delicate pappus bristles emerging from the disk flower.

Habitat: Open loose sand of washes and flats

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: 100-1200 m

Bioregions: s SNF, s SnJV, SCoRO, WTR.

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