Castilleja ambigua subsp. ambigua
johnny-nip
Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: annual · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.2
Johnny-nip is a California native annual found in northern coastal California, including the southern North Coast Ranges and central Coast Ranges, growing in coastal bluffs and grasslands at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces distinctive yellow flowers with bracts that have acute or rounded tips and a lower lip with tiny teeth about 1 millimeter long. Growing as an upright, non-fleshy annual with slender stems, it forms delicate clusters of flowering branches. Its foliage consists of narrow, pointed leaves that complement the bright yellow floral display. The small seeds are approximately 1 millimeter in size, typical of its delicate coastal habitat.
Habitat: Coastal bluffs, grassland
Bloom period: May-Aug
Elevation: < 500 m
Bioregions: NCo, s NCoR, n&c CCo.
California counties: Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, San Mateo, Alameda, Napa, Monterey, Del Norte, Contra Costa, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, Humboldt, San Francisco
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.