Collinsia greenei

Greene's blue eyed mary

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Greene's blue eyed mary is a California native annual found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, and inner northern Coast Ranges in open chaparral and conifer forest, particularly on serpentine slopes at elevations of 300 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from April to August, this plant produces dark purple flowers approximately 10 to 15 millimeters long with distinctive upper lip lobes featuring two crested projections that bulge more than 1 millimeter from the throat opening. Growing 10 to 30 centimeters tall with a distinctive candelabra-like purple stem, it develops an interrupted, glandular inflorescence. Its leaves are narrowly lanceolate to ovate, ranging from entire to slightly toothed with obtuse tips, creating a delicate green backdrop for the intense purple blossoms. The plant produces 2 to 4 wafer-like, slightly concave seeds that complete its distinctive reproductive cycle.

Habitat: Open chaparral or conifer forest, serpentine slopes

Bloom period: Apr-Aug

Elevation: 300-2500 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRH, NCoRI.

California counties: Trinity, Lake, Sonoma, Mendocino, Glenn, Humboldt, Tehama, Napa, Shasta, Stanislaus, Lassen, Butte, Colusa, Siskiyou, Del Norte, San Luis Obispo, Fresno, Mariposa

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