Amsinckia lunaris

Bent-flowered fiddleneck, bent-flowered fiddleneck, bent-flowered fiddleneck

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Bent-flowered fiddleneck is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in the North Coast Ranges, southwestern Sacramento Valley, Central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area in gravelly slopes, grasslands, and woodland openings, often on serpentine soils at elevations of 50 to 800 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces orange flowers with two distinctive dark spots, measuring 7 to 10 millimeters long with a bent corolla tube. Growing with erect, slender stems, it develops a delicate and graceful form across grassland habitats. Its narrow leaves are arranged along the stem, contributing to its slender, elegant appearance. The small fruits are 2.5 to 4 millimeters long, characterized by sharp tubercles that add texture to the plant's overall structure.

Habitat: Gravelly slopes, grassland, openings in woodland, often serpentine

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: (5)50-800 m

Bioregions: NCoR, sw ScV, CCo (Marin, Santa Cruz cos.), SnFrB.

California counties: Lake, Contra Costa, Colusa, San Mateo, Monterey, Santa Clara, Sutter, Fresno, Merced, Napa, Tulare, Marin, Madera, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Alameda, Humboldt, San Diego

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.