Calystegia occidentalis
Bush morning glory
(c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Convolvulaceae · Type: Vine · Native
Calystegia occidentalis (Bush morning glory) is a native California vine in the Convolvulaceae family, recognized by no sympatric species.
Bush morning glory is a California native perennial found in dry, rocky areas of the inner Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada foothills at elevations of 100 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces white to creamy yellow flowers 20 to 48 millimeters long with delicate, trumpet-like petals. Growing with decumbent to strongly climbing stems that are puberulent and emerging from a woody base, it spreads in loose, sprawling formations. Its leaves have distinctive blades 1.5 to 4 centimeters long with rounded lobes and a softly rounded or squared sinus between leaf segments. The plant's linear bracts, 5 to 12 millimeters long, partially surround the flower's green sepals which measure 9 to 15 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated; no sympatric species
Habitat and range
California counties: Alameda, Fresno, Plumas, San Bernardino, Del Norte, Tuolumne, Sonoma, Napa, San Mateo, Butte, San Diego, Tulare, Madera, Marin, Stanislaus, Placer, Trinity, Siskiyou, Shasta, El Dorado, Sutter, Mariposa, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, Tehama, Humboldt, Nevada, Solano, Sierra, Yolo, Mendocino, Colusa, Lake, Kern, Amador, Ventura, Los Angeles
How to tell it apart
vs Convolvulus: Convolvulus has smaller flowers with sharply pointed stigma lobes; Calystegia stigma lobes are blunt.; vs Ipomoea: Ipomoea stigma is a single rounded knob; Calystegia stigma has two distinct flattened lobes.; vs Datura: Datura flowers are upright with pleated edges; Calystegia flowers are smooth funnels.; vs Abronia: Abronia has clusters of small tubular flowers; Calystegia has single large funnel flowers.; vs Oenothera: Oenothera has four separate petals; Calystegia petals are fused into continuous funnel.
Frequently asked questions
Is Calystegia occidentalis native to California?
Yes. Calystegia occidentalis is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Calystegia occidentalis grow?
Calystegia occidentalis occurs in Alameda, Fresno, Plumas, San Bernardino, Del Norte, Tuolumne, Sonoma, Napa and other counties.
What plant family does Calystegia occidentalis belong to?
Calystegia occidentalis is in the Convolvulaceae family, genus Calystegia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
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.