Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest and east in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; British Columbia to Baja California, east to Idaho and Nevada.
Habitat: Sandy soil along the coast and along inland rivers.
Flowers: April-June
Origin: Native
Growth Duration: Annual
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Pollination: Bees
Low annual, simple to branched and often sprawling, the stem 5-15 cm. tall, spreading-pubescent to glandular-puberulent.
Leaves alternate, linear to linear-lanceolate, entire to remotely denticulate, 10-30 mm. long, the floral bracts similar.
Flowers mostly sessile in the floral bracts; calyx tube 1.5-2 mm. long; petals 4, yellow, 2.5-4 mm. long; stamens 8, one set of 4 twice as long as the shorter set; stigma globose; ovary 4-celled, inferior.
Capsule linear, 1 mm. thick and 2-4 cm. long, conspicuously arched to nearly coiled.
Publication: Trans. New York Acad. Sci. 14(3): 37. 1895.
Sphaerostigma contortum (Douglas) Walp.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Camissonia contorta in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database
WA Flora Checklist: Camissonia contorta checklist entry
OregonFlora: Camissonia contorta information
E-Flora BC: Camissonia contorta atlas page
CalPhotos: Camissonia contorta photos
