Collinsia heterophylla var. heterophylla

Chinese-houses, Chinese-Houses

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Chinese-houses is a California native annual found in northern coastal ranges, northern inner coast ranges, the Central California Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada foothills, Tehachapi, Sutter Buttes, central western California, southern California coastal areas, Channel Islands, western Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges at elevations below 1,300 meters in shady places within chaparral, open mixed woodland, and oak woodland. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces purple and white flowers in distinctive tiered clusters resembling pagoda-like architectural structures. Growing with delicate branching stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall, it forms an elegant and airy growth habit. Its leaves are glabrous underneath, with lower leaves often being broader and more rounded while upper leaves become progressively narrower. The corolla reaches 15 to 20 millimeters long, with upper and lower flower lips approximately equal in length.

Habitat: Shady places in chaparral, open mixed woodland, oak woodland

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: < 1300 m

Bioregions: NCoRO, NCoRI, CaRF, SNF, Teh, ScV (Sutter Buttes), CW, SCo, ChI, WTR, PR (exc SnJt)

California counties: San Luis Obispo, Kern, Tulare, San Diego, Riverside, Santa Clara, Monterey, Fresno, Madera, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Orange, Los Angeles, Amador, San Mateo, San Joaquin, Merced, Ventura, Lake, Solano, Napa, Mariposa, Contra Costa

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