Diplacus congdonii
Congdon's monkeyflower
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Phrymaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Diplacus congdonii (Congdon's monkeyflower) is a native California herb in the Phrymaceae family, recognized by hard indehiscent fruits diagnostic.
Congdon's monkeyflower is a California native annual found in northern coastal ranges, Sierra Nevada foothills, San Francisco Bay Area, northern Santa Lucia Mountains, western Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges at elevations of 120 to 1,100 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces magenta flowers with delicate tube-throats 8 to 30 millimeters long. Growing as a compact plant less than 12 centimeters tall with puberulent to hairy stems, it appears delicate and understated. Its leaves are oblanceolate to elliptic, 8 to 32 millimeters long, with green upper surfaces and purple undersides, and slightly ciliate edges. The fruit is a small, hard, laterally compressed structure 4 to 8.5 millimeters long that remains closed after maturation.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 21 sympatric species; hard indehiscent fruits diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed areas, sloped runoff areas, generally granitic or serpentine soils
Elevation: 120-1100(1700) m
Bloom period
Diplacus congdonii blooms Mar-May.
How to tell it apart
vs Erythranthe: Diplacus has a corolla that withers and stays attached and typically grows in dry, rocky places; Erythranthe drops its corolla cleanly and favors wet seeps and streambanks.; vs Mimulus: Diplacus covers the shrubby and small annual western monkeyflowers with ribbed, inflating calyces; Mimulus (in the strict sense) is a fleshy-stemmed perennial with squarish 4-angled stems.; vs Mimetanthe: Diplacus is puberulent to glandular with a distinctly 2-lipped flower; Mimetanthe is densely long-soft-wavy-hairy with tiny yellow flowers and a nearly regular calyx.; vs Collinsia: Diplacus has an open funnel-throated corolla and a 5-ribbed calyx; Collinsia has a sharply 2-lipped flower with the middle lower lobe folded into a keel that hides the stamens.; vs Antirrhinum: Diplacus has an open-throated corolla and free calyx lobes; Antirrhinum (snapdragon) has a closed, pouched throat sealed by a palate and a spurless sac at the base.
Frequently asked questions
Is Diplacus congdonii native to California?
Yes. Diplacus congdonii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Diplacus congdonii bloom?
Diplacus congdonii blooms Mar-May.
What plant family does Diplacus congdonii belong to?
Diplacus congdonii is in the Phrymaceae family, genus Diplacus.
What habitat does Diplacus congdonii grow in?
Diplacus congdonii grows in Disturbed areas, sloped runoff areas, generally granitic or serpentine soils.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.