Taxon Report

Linanthus californicus (Hook. & Arn.) J.M. Porter & L.A. Johnson ssp. tomentosus (P.J. Gordon-Reedy) J.M. Porter & R. Patt.

fuzzy prickly-phlox

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Linanthus californicus ssp. tomentosus, commonly known as fuzzy prickly-phlox, is a perennial deciduous shrub in the Polemoniaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Coastal dunes, growing at elevations from 1 to 185 meters. Linanthus californicus ssp. tomentosus is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Linanthus californicus (Hook. & Arn.) J.M. Porter & L.A. Johnson ssp. tomentosus (P.J. Gordon-Reedy) J.M. Porter & R. Patt.
Common Name:	fuzzy prickly-phlox
Family:	Polemoniaceae
Element Code:	PDPLM08021
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Leptodactylon californicum H. & A. ssp. tomentosum Gordon

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial deciduous shrub
Blooming Period: Mar-Aug	Mar-Aug
Elevation:	1-185 (5-605)
General Habitats:	Coastal dunes
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	G5T3
State Rank:	S3
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: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Luis Obispo (SLO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Arroyo Grande NE (3512025), Oceano (3512015), Pismo Beach (3512026)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



See Leptodactylon californicum in TJM (1993); a synonym of L. californicus in TJM 2. See Madroño 37(1):28-42 (1990) for original description, and Aliso 32(2):55-88 (2014) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 7 November 2025].