Taxon Report

Cherleria biflora (L.) A. J. Moore & Dillenb.

alpine sandwort

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Cherleria biflora, commonly known as alpine sandwort, is a perennial herb in the Caryophyllaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Alpine boulder and rock field, Alpine dwarf scrub, and Subalpine coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 3150 to 3700 meters. Cherleria biflora is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Cherleria biflora (L.) A. J. Moore & Dillenb.
Common Name:	alpine sandwort
Family:	Caryophyllaceae
Element Code:	PDCAR0G040
USDA Plants Symbol:	MIOB2
Synonyms/Other Names:	Minuartia obtusiloba (Rydb.) House

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Jul-Aug	Jul-Aug
Elevation:	3150-3700 (10335-12140)
General Habitats:	Alpine boulder and rock field, Alpine dwarf scrub, Subalpine coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Granitic, Metamorphic
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Fresno (FRE), Mariposa (MPA), Mono (MNO), San Bernardino (SBD), Tuolumne (TUO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Emigrant Lake (3811926), Iron Ridge (3411655), Mount Dana (3711982), Mt. Hilgard (3711837), Tioga Pass (3711983), Vogelsang Peak (3711973)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes




Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed Non-Substantive Name Changes: Multiple taxa in various plant families from the Jepson eFlora revision 11 (2023)

Willdenowia 47: 5–14 (2017)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 27 October 2025].