''Jepsonia heterandra'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family known by the common name foothill jepsonia. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the foothills of the central section of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where it grows in woodland and forest. This is a small perennial plant growing two or three leaves from a branching

caudex A caudex (: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is most ...

. The flat, green leaves are round or kidney-shaped with frilly lobes along the edges. Flowering occurs in fall. The plant produces an

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

of several pinkish flowers on a tall peduncle. The fruit is a red-striped green or pink capsule.

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
Saxifragaceae Flora of California Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Saxifragaceae-stub