Collinsia childii

Child's blue eyed mary

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Child's blue eyed mary is a California native annual found in central Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi, southern Coastal Ranges, Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges in shaded slopes and open oak and mixed-conifer woodland at elevations of 1,000 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces white to pale lavender flowers 6 to 9 millimeters long with an upper lip approximately equal to the lower lip. Growing with slender stems 8 to 35 centimeters tall, it forms an open, glandular inflorescence with spreading to ascending flower clusters. Its leaves are oblong to oblanceolate, generally flat and entire or finely toothed, with a tapered base measuring 2 to 3 millimeters wide. Each plant produces two seeds approximately 3 millimeters long.

Habitat: Shaded slopes, open oak and mixed-conifer woodland

Bloom period: (Apr)May-Jul

Elevation: 1000-2200 m

Bioregions: c&amps SNH, Teh, SCoRO, TR, PR.

California counties: San Diego, Kern, Tulare, San Bernardino, Mariposa, Monterey, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Fresno, Sierra, El Dorado, Madera, Lassen, Alameda

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