Collinsia torreyi var. torreyi

Torrey's blue eyed mary

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Torrey's blue eyed mary is a California native annual found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in conifer forest, often in sandy, granitic soil at elevations of 1,000 to 3,000 meters. Flowering from May to August, this delicate plant produces blue and white flowers about 6 to 9 millimeters long with distinctive upper lip lobes that have subtle projections bulging slightly away from the throat. Growing with slender stems, it develops elongated leaves that are notably narrow, being more than six times longer than wide. Its linear leaves provide a fine, delicate texture to the plant's overall structure. In its granitic mountain habitat, Torrey's blue eyed mary creates small, elegant displays of blue and white blossoms among the conifer understory.

Habitat: Conifer forest, often in sandy, granitic soil

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 1000-3000 m

Bioregions: SNH

California counties: El Dorado, Fresno, Alpine, Nevada, Los Angeles, Kern, Plumas, Tulare, Tuolumne, Mendocino, Lassen, Mariposa, Amador, Placer, Mono, Calaveras, Madera, Shasta, Modoc, Sierra, Humboldt, Del Norte, Siskiyou

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