About Acanthoscyphus parishii (Parry) Small
Acanthoscyphus parishii is an annual herb. In spring, when it flowers, it produces a waxy, hairless, leafless stem that reaches a maximum height of about 60 centimeters. During winter, the plant grows as a small rosette of oval leaves that are a few centimeters wide. The inflorescence at the top of the stem is an array of small cymes of flowers. Each cyme is enveloped in a partially fused cup of bracts tipped with spinelike awns. Each flower has six hairy white or pinkish lobes. This species is endemic to California, and is only found in the Transverse Ranges and the nearby slopes of the southernmost Central Coast Ranges. It grows in dry, rocky mountain soils and has low water tolerance. It occurs at elevations between 1500 and 2500 meters. It requires annual precipitation of 30 to 104 centimeters and grows in temperatures ranging from 26 to 31 degrees Celsius. Its growing period lasts 2 to 5 months, and it typically blooms between June and August.
