Tahquitz Mousetail

Description

Ivesia callida-is a rare species of flowering plant in the-rose family-known by the common name-Tahquitz mousetail. It is-endemic-to the-San Jacinto Mountains-of-Riverside County, California, where it is known from only two occurrences. The plant grows in cracks and crevices of the-granite-mountain cliffs. It was named for-Tahquitz, a rock formation in its endemic range. This is a small perennial herb which forms matted patches of hanging foliage on cliff faces. The leaves are strips of oval-shaped green leaflets. Each leaf is up to 7 centimeters long and has several pairs of hairy, glandular leaflets. The thin, green, hanging stems are up to 15 centimeters long and bears an-inflorescence-of several flowers. Each flower has five hairy, pointed-sepals-and five rounded to oval white petals. The center of the flower contains twenty-stamens-with disc-shaped anthers and several-pistils.