False babystars found on the range at Hopland

May 16, 2012

False babystars found on the range at Hopland

May 16, 2012

Look to the ground for the small and minute details of the native False Babystars plant (Leptosiphon androsaceus), which can have a blossom smaller than Lincoln's head on a penny.  Until recently this common plant was classified as Linanthus androsaceus and it is one of the many, many plants in the Phlox family ... Polemoniaceae.

This is an annual herb, hairy in nature, with leaves that are each divided into needle-like lobes, which is endemic to California.   It is common on the rangelands and oak woodland openings here at the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center and throughout the North Coast Ranges. 

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By Robert J Keiffer
Author - Center Superintendent