Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata
Desert fiddleneck, Desert Fiddleneck
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Boraginaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata (Desert fiddleneck) is a native California herb in the Boraginaceae family, recognized by white calyx hairs and smaller yellow flowers.
Desert fiddleneck is a California native annual found in the southern Sierra Nevada foothills, Tehachapi, San Joaquin Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, south Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges northern slopes, Great Basin, and Desert regions in rocky or sandy soils at elevations of 50 to 2,280 meters. Flowering from February to June, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with white-hairy calyces and blossoms 8 to 12 millimeters long. Growing with slender branching stems to approximately 40 centimeters tall, it has an upright and somewhat sprawling habit. Its leaves are narrow and lance-shaped, arranged alternately along the stems, becoming smaller toward the flower clusters. The plant's distinctive coiled flowering stalks resemble a fiddleneck, giving rise to its common name.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 11 sympatric species; white calyx hairs and smaller yellow flowers help distinguish
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky or sandy soils
Elevation: 50-2280 m
California counties: Kern, San Bernardino, Inyo, Monterey, Los Angeles, Lassen, San Diego, Riverside, San Benito, Mono, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, Imperial, Modoc, Santa Barbara, Contra Costa, Stanislaus, Alameda, Madera, Fresno, Plumas, Ventura, Siskiyou, Merced
Outside California: to Washington, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Baja California, South America
Bloom period
Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata blooms Feb-Jun.
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 tessellata var. tessellata native to California?
Yes. Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata bloom?
Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata blooms Feb-Jun.
Where in California does Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata grow?
Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata occurs in Kern, San Bernardino, Inyo, Monterey, Los Angeles, Lassen, San Diego, Riverside and other counties, at elevations of 50-2280 m.
What plant family does Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata belong to?
Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata is in the Boraginaceae family, genus Amsinckia.
What habitat does Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata grow in?
Amsinckia tessellata var. tessellata grows in Rocky or sandy soils.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Amsinckia vernicosa — Waxy fiddleneck
- Amsinckia douglasiana — Douglas's fiddleneck
- Amsinckia eastwoodiae — Eastwood's fiddleneck
- Amsinckia furcata — Forked fiddleneck
- Amsinckia grandiflora — Large-flowered fiddleneck
- Amsinckia intermedia — Common fiddleneck
- Amsinckiopsis kingii — Great basin popcornflower
- Amsinckiopsis kingii var. harknessii — Northern great basin popcornflower
- Amsinckiopsis kingii var. kingii — Southern great basin popcornflower
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
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.