Zeltnera muehlenbergii
Monterey centaury, Monterey Centaury
(c) LJ Moore-McClelland, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Gentianaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Zeltnera muehlenbergii (Monterey centaury) is a native California herb in the Gentianaceae family, recognized by sessile to very short pedicels diagnostic.
Monterey centaury is a California native annual found in the Sierra Nevada foothills and central western California on moist coastal bluffs and forest openings at elevations below 1,600 meters. Flowering from June to August, this delicate plant produces white to pale pink flowers with rounded lance-oblong corolla lobes 2 to 7 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems 3 to 30 centimeters tall, it displays a distinctive branching structure with varying leaf shapes. Its leaves range from lower obovate to oblong forms measuring 15 to 25 millimeters long, with upper leaves becoming lance-elliptic. The plant's open inflorescence features flowers with pedicels up to 10 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species; sessile to very short pedicels diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist coastal bluffs, forest openings
Elevation: < 1600 m
California counties: Butte, Monterey, Marin, Contra Costa, Placer, Sutter, Colusa, Calaveras, Santa Barbara, Napa, Sonoma, Humboldt, San Mateo, Siskiyou, Trinity, Mendocino, Tehama, San Luis Obispo, El Dorado, Mariposa, Solano, Sacramento, Yolo, Yuba, Lake, Santa Cruz
Outside California: to southwestern British Columbia, Idaho
Bloom period
Zeltnera muehlenbergii blooms Jun-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Centaurium: Zeltnera has wedge-shaped stigmas; Centaurium has oval stigmas (need hand lens).; vs Calandrinia: Zeltnera has tubular gentian flowers; Calandrinia has separate petals.; vs Sabatia: Zeltnera has narrow flower tubes; marsh pink has rotate flowers.; vs Clarkia: Zeltnera has tubular flowers; Clarkia has four separate petals.; vs Leptosiphon: Zeltnera has pink/white flowers; Leptosiphon often multicolored with very narrow tubes.
Frequently asked questions
Is Zeltnera muehlenbergii native to California?
Yes. Zeltnera muehlenbergii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Zeltnera muehlenbergii bloom?
Zeltnera muehlenbergii blooms Jun-Aug.
Where in California does Zeltnera muehlenbergii grow?
Zeltnera muehlenbergii occurs in Butte, Monterey, Marin, Contra Costa, Placer, Sutter, Colusa, Calaveras and other counties, at elevations of < 1600 m.
What plant family does Zeltnera muehlenbergii belong to?
Zeltnera muehlenbergii is in the Gentianaceae family, genus Zeltnera.
What habitat does Zeltnera muehlenbergii grow in?
Zeltnera muehlenbergii grows in Moist coastal bluffs, forest openings.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.