Diplacus layneae
Layne's monkeyflower
(c) Tom Hilton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Phrymaceae · Type: Annual · Native
Diplacus layneae (Layne's monkeyflower) is a native California annual in the Phrymaceae family, recognized by equal lips, downward-bent lower lip.
Layne's monkeyflower is a California native annual found in northwestern, northern California, Sierra Nevada, southwestern, and mountain provinces regions in bare or disturbed serpentine and granitic areas at elevations of 200 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces pink to magenta flowers with white and red-purple markings, featuring a distinctive throat near the flower mouth. Growing 2 to 28 centimeters tall with a hairy and branching structure, the plant has delicate stems that spread across rocky terrain. Its leaves are narrowly elliptic to obovate, measuring 6 to 25 millimeters long and covered in fine hairs. The corolla tube is 13 to 21 millimeters long, with lower petals bent downward and creating an elegant, asymmetrical bloom.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 28 sympatric species; equal lips, downward-bent lower lip
Habitat and range
Habitat: Bare or disturbed areas, generally serpentine or granitic
Elevation: generally 200-2000 m
Bloom period
Diplacus layneae blooms May-Aug.
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 layneae native to California?
Yes. Diplacus layneae is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Diplacus layneae bloom?
Diplacus layneae blooms May-Aug.
What plant family does Diplacus layneae belong to?
Diplacus layneae is in the Phrymaceae family, genus Diplacus.
What habitat does Diplacus layneae grow in?
Diplacus layneae grows in Bare or disturbed areas, generally serpentine or granitic.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
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.