Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Cistanthe umbellata (formerly Calyptridium umbellatum) is a species of flowering plant in the purslane family known by the common name Mount Hood pussypaws. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in a number of habitat types, including in areas inhospitable to many plant types, such as those with alpine climates. It is a perennial herb forming generally two or more basal rosettes of thick, spoon-shaped leaves each a few centimeters long. The inflorescence arises from the rosette, a dense, spherical umbel of rounded sepals and four small petals.

Plant type

Annual herb, Perennial herb

Size

2 ft Tall

Special uses

Containers

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Soil drainage

Fast

Propagation

For propagating by seed: 1 mo. stratification.

Site type

Open, sandy rocky soils,

Plant communities

Alpine Fell-Fields, Lodgepole Forest, Red Fir Forest, Subalpine Forest, Yellow Pine Forest