Castilleja ambigua subsp. insalutata

pink Johnny-nip

Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Pink Johnny-nip is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in central Coast Ranges of Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties on grassy coastal bluffs at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces rose-purple flowers with distinctive bract tips in soft, delicate clusters. Growing as a much-branched plant from its base, it forms compact, intricate stems rising from the coastal landscape. Its bracts are particularly notable for their acute or rounded rose-purple tips, creating an elegant visual texture against the grassland background. The small flowers have lower lip teeth measuring 1.5 to 2 millimeters long, adding subtle architectural detail to its overall delicate structure.

Habitat: Grassy coastal bluffs

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: c CCo (Monterey, San Luis Obispo cos.).

California counties: Monterey, San Luis Obispo

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