About Eriastrum sapphirinum (Eastw.) H.Mason
Eriastrum sapphirinum is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family, commonly called sapphire woollystar. This wildflower is endemic to California, where it grows in many habitats across the state. It is an annual plant that grows between 5 and 40 centimeters tall, and forms either clumps or single spindly stems. The stem is erect, and can range in color from reddish to green, with scattered threadlike leaves. The plant's texture ranges from having sparse hairs to a thick, woolly coating. The inflorescences at the stem tips are packed with pointed, leaflike green to red bracts and funnel-shaped flowers. The flower's corolla has five lobes, each 0.5 to 1 centimeter long, colored pale to bright blue. The flower throat is either the same blue color, or yellowish to white. Yellow and white dots may appear at the mouth of the flower tube, and light-colored stamens extend out past the mouth.
