Tripterocalyx micranthus

Small-flowered sand-verbena, Small-Flowered Sand-Verbena

Family: Nyctaginaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Small-flowered sand-verbena is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native perennial found in the Mojave Desert on sand dunes at elevations of 800 to 2,450 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces green-white to light pink flowers in delicate clusters. Growing with stems less than 60 centimeters tall that are glandular-sticky and slightly rough to the touch, it spreads low across sandy terrain. Its leaves are narrowly ovate to elliptic, 1 to 6 centimeters long, with glandular hairs that are denser on the undersides of the leaves. These distinctive, soft-textured leaves and sticky stems help the plant survive in harsh desert environments.

Habitat: Sand dunes

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 800-2450 m

Bioregions: DMoj

California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo

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