Collomia heterophylla
Variable-leaf collomia, Variable-Leaf Collomia
no rights reserved · CC0
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Collomia heterophylla (Variable-leaf collomia) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by pinnately-lobed lower leaves.
Variable-leaf collomia is a California native annual found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Cascade Ranges, Sierra Nevada Foothills, northern and central Sierra Nevada, San Francisco Bay Area, and southern Coast Ranges in sandy to gravelly open areas at elevations below 2,000 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces light pink to white flowers with a yellow to light pink tube, typically clustered in groups of 7 to 25 blooms. Growing with erect stems featuring several subequal branches spreading to ascending, it develops long internodes covered in translucent glandular hairs. Its leaves vary distinctively, with lower leaves having 1 to 2 pinnate lobes and upper leaves ranging from lobed to entire, generally adorned with glandular hairs. The plant produces seeds, with 2 to 3 seeds developing in each flower chamber.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 7 sympatric species; diagnostic pinnately-lobed lower leaves
Habitat and range
Habitat: Sandy to gravelly, open areas
Elevation: < 2000 m
California counties: Humboldt, Placer, Amador, El Dorado, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Calaveras, Sierra, Butte, Sonoma, Trinity, Mendocino, Napa, Madera, Monterey, Siskiyou, Nevada, Marin, Shasta, Del Norte, Santa Clara, Lake, Plumas, San Luis Obispo, Yuba, Tulare, Glenn, Tehama, Contra Costa, Mono
Outside California: to British Columbia, Idaho
Bloom period
Collomia heterophylla blooms Apr-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Gilia: Collomia has entire lanceolate leaves and flowers in leafy-bracted terminal heads; Gilia has pinnately lobed or dissected basal leaves and more open inflorescences.; vs Navarretia: Collomia has soft, entire leaves and unarmed bracts; Navarretia (pincushion) has spine-tipped, often pinnately spiny bracts and prickly heads.; vs Allophyllum: Collomia leaves are entire and herbage is not skunky; Allophyllum has lobed to pinnatifid leaves and a skunk-like odor with glandular herbage.; vs Leptosiphon: Collomia has undivided lanceolate leaves; Leptosiphon and Linanthus have palmately dissected, needle-like, finger-whorled leaf lobes.; vs Microsteris: Collomia has funnel-shaped flowers in leafy terminal clusters; Microsteris is a tiny annual with small pink-and-yellow salverform flowers in the leaf axils.
Frequently asked questions
Is Collomia heterophylla native to California?
Yes. Collomia heterophylla is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Collomia heterophylla bloom?
Collomia heterophylla blooms Apr-Jun.
Where in California does Collomia heterophylla grow?
Collomia heterophylla occurs in Humboldt, Placer, Amador, El Dorado, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Santa Cruz, San Mateo and other counties, at elevations of < 2000 m.
What plant family does Collomia heterophylla belong to?
Collomia heterophylla is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Collomia.
What habitat does Collomia heterophylla grow in?
Collomia heterophylla grows in Sandy to gravelly, open areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.