Our botanist/BLM guide for the day, Bruce Delgado, said this was native, endemic Subspecies Horkelia cuneata sericea "sericea is the uncommon one so I wanted you and others to see it and be aware cuz its a cool version of the more common ssp. cuneata." Our specimen appeared to have hairs appressed/ascending (not spreading), and glands obscure/absent. Flowers not observed.
Both ssp. are listed in Jepson eFlora for CCo and grow on old dunes and coastal sand hills.
Kellogg's Horkelia. (Horkelia cuneata var. sericea) "Habit: Hairs dense, +- nonglandular, ascending to appressed. Inflorescence: dense to +- open; clusters several to many, several-flowered; pedicels generally 1--12 mm. Flower: hypanthium inner rim hairy; filament base 0.5--1 mm wide. Chromosomes: n=14.
Ecology: Old dunes, coastal sandhills; Elevation: generally < 200 m. Bioregional Distribution: CCo." Conservation Status: 1B.1 in California, US (CNPS)
Jepson eFlora https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=81861.
H.c.cuneata: "Hairs +- dense, glandular and nonglandular, +- spreading." https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=81860.
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Wedge Leaf Horkelia (Horkelia cuneata) Native/endemic, perennial plant in the Rose (Rosaceae) family that grows in grassland and woods near coast. Leaves are pinnate with 5–12 leaflets per side. Leaflets have rounded teeth. Flowers are similar to other horkelias, except that the creamy white petals are usually narrower, so more of the sepals are visible between the petals. The petals have a narrow base and are equal to, or exceed the sepals in length. Peak bloom time: April-July.
"This taxon is so common on Fort Ord that it is hard to believe it is a CA endemic"
Flora of Fort Ord, D. Styer, 2019, p. 188.
Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell, 2015, pp. 284-285.
Jepson eFlora https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=28408
Monterey County Wildflowers: a Field Guide, Yeager and Mitchell, 2016, p. 265.
Monterey County Wildflowers, Trees & Ferns https://montereywildflowers.com/rosaceae-cinquefoil/
