Amsinckia douglasiana
Douglas's fiddleneck, Douglas' fiddleneck, Douglas' fiddleneck
(c) william_hoyer, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.2
Amsinckia douglasiana (Douglas's fiddleneck) is a native California herb in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by large flowers with dark spots diagnostic.
Douglas's fiddleneck is a California native annual found in southern Coastal Ranges and western Transverse Ranges on unstable shaly sedimentary slopes at elevations of 150 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces yellow-orange flowers with five distinctive dark spots, 14 to 22 millimeters long with a limb 10 to 16 millimeters in diameter. Growing with slender stems branched in the upper half, it reaches heights typical of small annual herbs. Its leaves are occasionally narrow and spoon-shaped, with variable orientation along the stem. The fruit is a distinctive gray, dull, cobblestone-like structure measuring 3 to 5 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 10 sympatric species; large flowers with dark spots diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Unstable shaly sedimentary slopes
Elevation: (100)150-1600 m
California counties: Fresno, Kern, Monterey, Ventura, Mariposa, Sutter, Solano, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Madera, Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Alameda, Tulare, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Kings, Mendocino, Napa, San Benito, San Diego, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Trinity, Merced, Lake, Amador, Calaveras, Stanislaus, Santa Cruz, Marin, Butte, Sacramento, Yolo, Placer
Bloom period
Amsinckia douglasiana blooms Mar-Jun.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.2
How to tell it apart
vs Phacelia: Amsinckia always has orange or yellow flowers; Phacelia flowers are blue, purple, or white.; vs Plantago: Amsinckia has coiled orange flower clusters; Plantago has dense spikes with tiny white-brown flowers.; vs Helminthotheca: Amsinckia has bristly stems but simple leaves; Helminthotheca leaves are prickly-bumpy textured.; vs Echium: Amsinckia flowers are orange-yellow; Echium flowers are blue-purple and distinctly lopsided.; vs Camissoniopsis: Amsinckia has coiled flower clusters; Camissoniopsis has 4-petaled evening primrose flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Amsinckia douglasiana native to California?
Yes. Amsinckia douglasiana is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Amsinckia douglasiana bloom?
Amsinckia douglasiana blooms Mar-Jun.
Where in California does Amsinckia douglasiana grow?
Amsinckia douglasiana occurs in Fresno, Kern, Monterey, Ventura, Mariposa, Sutter, Solano, Santa Barbara and other counties, at elevations of (100)150-1600 m.
What plant family does Amsinckia douglasiana belong to?
Amsinckia douglasiana is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Amsinckia.
Is Amsinckia douglasiana rare or endangered?
Amsinckia douglasiana carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.2, state rank S4.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.