Amsinckia spectabilis var. spectabilis

Seaside fiddleneck

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Seaside fiddleneck is a California native annual found in coastal bioregions including North Coast, Central Coast, Southern Coast, and Channel Islands on coastal dunes and sandy bluffs at elevations below 170 meters. Flowering from April to August, this plant produces yellow-orange flowers with delicate, asymmetrical calyx lobes and corolla limbs 5 to 12 millimeters in diameter. Growing with generally decumbent stems that sprawl across sandy terrain, it develops a low-spreading habit characteristic of coastal environments. Its leaves are typically narrow and lance-shaped, arranged alternately along the stem, complementing the plant's adaptable growth pattern. Small fruits approximately 1.5 to 2 millimeters long develop with occasionally ridged surfaces and sharp or subtle tubercles.

Habitat: Coastal dunes or sandy bluffs

Bloom period: Apr-Aug

Elevation: < 170(300) m

Bioregions: NCo, CCo, SCo, ChI

California counties: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Marin, San Mateo, Monterey, Santa Cruz, 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.