Kumlienia hystricula (A.Gray) Greene

Growth Form

Kumlienia hystricula is a small perennial herb that grows from fleshy roots and a thick caudex.

Leaf Arrangement & Shape

It produces a basal rosette of hairless green leaves; these leaves are rounded with several round lobes.

Leaf Size & Petiole

Each leaf is 1 to 3 centimeters wide, and grows on a long petiole.

Inflorescence Structure

Several inflorescences emerge from the plant patch, borne on erect to drooping peduncles that reach up to around 20 centimeters tall.

Flower Sepals

Each flower has 5 or 6 white sepals that resemble petals.

Flower Petals

The actual petals are much smaller shiny yellow-green structures that curve around the center of the bloom.

Flower Reproductive Parts

Many stamens and pistils are located in the flower's center.

Fruit Characteristics

The fruits are bristly lance-shaped bodies a few millimeters long, and they grow clustered together.

Distribution & Habitat

Kumlienia hystricula is endemic to the Sierra Nevada in California, where it grows in wet areas within the range's coniferous forests.