Collinsia rattanii

Rattan's blue eyed mary

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Rattan's blue eyed mary is a California native annual found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, western Cascade Range, and northern Sierra Nevada in open conifer forest at elevations of 100 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces purple-lavender flowers with white variations, small and delicate, typically 4 to 8 millimeters long. Growing 8 to 40 centimeters tall with slender, spreading stems, it has an open and somewhat delicate growth habit. Its leaves are distinctive, generally more than 6 times longer than wide, linear with margins rolled under, finely hairy with a gray-green upper surface and purplish lower surface. The plant produces 2 to 6 seeds that are plump to narrowly winged, adding to its unique botanical character.

Habitat: Open conifer forest

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 100-1500 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoR, w CaRH, n SNH

California counties: Tulare, Siskiyou, Trinity, Humboldt, Lake, Del Norte, Glenn, Tehama, Plumas, Mendocino, Shasta, Colusa, Mariposa

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