Townsendia leptotes

Slender townsendia, Slender Townsendia

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Slender townsendia is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native perennial found in the White and Inyo Mountains on rocky or sandy slopes at elevations of 3,500 to 3,800 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces white to pink or blue flowers with delicate ray petals. Growing as a compact herb less than 3 centimeters tall, it forms a low, dense cluster with extremely short stems. Its basal leaves are narrow and oblanceolate, approximately 1 to 2 centimeters long, with a fine, strigose texture and acute tips. The plant's small stature and delicate flowers make it a distinctive alpine species adapted to high-elevation mountain environments.

Habitat: Rocky or sandy slopes

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: 3500-3800 m

Bioregions: W&ampI

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