Diplacus cusickioides
Cusick's monkeyflower
(c) Tom Wainwright, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Phrymaceae · Type: Annual · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3
Diplacus cusickioides (Cusick's monkeyflower) is a native California annual in the Phrymaceae family, recognized by annual on steep canyon slopes.
Cusick's monkeyflower is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native annual found in steep canyon slopes and scree areas at elevations of 600 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces striking magenta flowers with yellow throat folds, creating a vivid contrast against its slender stems. Growing 3 to 24 centimeters tall with densely hairy stems, it has a delicate and compact growth habit. Its leaves are 15 to 45 millimeters long, ranging from ovate to obovate, with distinctively sharp-tipped edges, particularly on the upper leaves. The small flowers feature a tube-throat 20 to 28 millimeters long, with stigma and lower anthers extending beyond the corolla.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated; annual on steep canyon slopes
Habitat and range
Habitat: Steep canyon slopes, scree
Elevation: generally 600-1600 m
Outside California: to Oregon, Idaho
Bloom period
Diplacus cusickioides blooms May-Aug.
Conservation status
CNPS 2B.3
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 cusickioides native to California?
Yes. Diplacus cusickioides is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Diplacus cusickioides bloom?
Diplacus cusickioides blooms May-Aug.
What plant family does Diplacus cusickioides belong to?
Diplacus cusickioides is in the Phrymaceae family, genus Diplacus.
Is Diplacus cusickioides rare or endangered?
Diplacus cusickioides carries California Rare Plant Rank 2B.3, state rank S2.
What habitat does Diplacus cusickioides grow in?
Diplacus cusickioides grows in Steep canyon slopes, scree.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-09-30
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.