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Taxon  Report  
Claytonia exigua  Torr. & A. Gray
Little spring beauty,   Serpentine springbeauty
Claytonia exigua is an annual herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
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Bloom Period
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Claytonia
Family: Montiaceae  
(Portulacaceae)
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Communities: Yellow Pine Forest, Mixed Evergreen Forest, Foothill Woodland, Chaparral, Valley Grassland
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
JM93Montia spathulata
Information about  Claytonia exigua from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (CLEX2)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Range, Habitat, Description: Claytonia exigua is a species of wildflower known by the common names serpentine springbeauty and pale claytonia, in the family Montiaceae. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Idaho to California, where it grows in a number of habitat types, including plant communities on serpentine soils.[1] Description Claytonia exigua is a fleshy annual herb producing a patch of erect or leaning stems up to about 15 centimeters tall. The thick leaves are linear in shape and fingerlike near the base of the plant and crescent to disc-shaped farther up the stem. The plant is hairless and waxy and varies in color from green to pinkish, grayish, or brownish. The inflorescence holds several flowers on drooping pedicels which turn erect as the plant develops fruit. The flower has five lobed petals each a few millimeters long and in shades of pink, white, or pink-streaked white. The fruit is a capsule less than three millimeters long containing a few tiny seeds. (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 04/19/2024).