Carlowrightia arizonica

Arizona carlowrightia, arizona wrightwort, Arizona Wrightwort

Family: Acanthaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Arizona carlowrightia is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native shrub found in western Sonoran Desert regions including Anza Borrego, Flat Cat, and Palm canyons at elevations around 300 meters on rocky slopes. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces white flowers with yellow and maroon-streaked upper lobes, reaching 1 to 1.8 centimeters long. Growing as a multi-branched shrub less than 1 meter tall with minute erect or recurved hairs, it has a delicate and intricate form. Its leaves are variable, generally less than 5 centimeters long, ranging from lanceolate to elliptic or heart-shaped, and lightly covered with fine hairs. The fruit is 7 to 11 millimeters long and glabrous, containing small tubercled seeds with finely dentate margins.

Habitat: Rocky slopes

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: +- 300 m.

Bioregions: w DSon (Flat Cat, Palm canyons, Anza Borrego)

California counties: San Diego, San Bernardino

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