pussy paws lobbs nama phlox

Pussy Paws + Lobb's Nama + Phlox

Pussy Paws

Lobb's Nama

Spreading Phlox

With a name like

pussypaws, it’s got to be cute, and it is. The pussypaw, in the Cistanthe genus, is a succulent flowering plant that grows flat on the ground, radiating out from a central point. It can grow in conditions where most other flowering plants cannot.

Find this flower in sandy and rocky soils, often on trails and along the roadside. It survives by sending down a long taproot, many feet into the ground. During the heat of the day, the flower stems rise up off of the scorched earth, but come to rest again as the day cools.

Spoon-shaped leaves form the center of the clusters of long-stemmed flowers that resemble and feel like the underside of a cat’s paw. The flowers produce tiny black seeds which can be eaten by chipmunks and other small rodents.

Keep your eyes on the ground to spot this low-growing plant. The petals pale as they age, curling around the forming seeds.

Lobb’s nama, also known as Lobb’s fiddleleaf and woolly nama, grows only in the Western United States and we are fortunate to have some growing here at Lake Tahoe.

Laird R. Blackwell, author of “Tahoe Wildflowers: A Month-by-Month Guide to Wildflowers in the Tahoe Basin and Surrounding Areas”, has spotted some on Vikingsholm trail and at Meek’s Bay. I know of a place in Incline Village where dozens of clumps are growing.

This flower also grows on gravelly, sandy slopes and thrives in the dry, barren soils. It’s a low-growing plant, from 2 to 10 inches high, with small, deep purple flowers consisting of five rounded lobes.

It’s a rhizomatous (think ginger root) perennial herb, sending out shoots underground, capable of growing new plants. Its leaves are sticky, hairy and alternate along branching stems.

A more common plant that most of us have probably seen is the spreading phlox. Another drought-resistant plant, it grows on dry, rocky slopes or flat areas.

Also a perennial herb, the leaves do not survive the winter, yet spring from the earth when the snow melts; the delicate five-lobed flowers appearing shortly after. The blooms don’t last long, so enjoy them while you can.

Martis Valley lies between Lake Tahoe and Truckee and is an area of open space, home to wildflowers, birds, other wildlife and hiking trails. I just learned of this area from talking to a friend who was working to identify a bird she saw there.

I will be venturing there as soon as I can but talking to her gave me an idea. I’d like your input—tell me where you’ve seen flowers or birds or other interesting things in nature and I’ll write about it.

Contact me: toree.saveourplanetearth@gmail.com.

Tell me your stories: of flowers, of birds, of your favorite hiking trails. Send me your photos and I’ll put them on the website or print them on a T-shirt.

I would love to connect with people who can help me identify some of the plants I’m struggling with, those I call “Mystery Plants”. Let’s put our heads together and figure this out!

Contact me! Let’s talk about the birds and the bees, the flowers and the trees of Lake Tahoe.

Toree Warfield is an avid nature lover, and writes this column to teach and stimulate interest in the marvels that surround us.