Diplacus leptaleus

Least flowered monkeyflower

Family: Phrymaceae · Type: annual · Native

Least flowered monkeyflower is a California native annual found in the Klamath Ranges, High Cascade Range, and Sierra Nevada in granitic soil and disturbed areas near rocky outcrops at elevations of 2,000 to 3,400 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces magenta or white flowers with distinctive white throats marked with dark dots, creating delicate 3 to 5 millimeters wide blooms. Growing as a diminutive plant reaching 0.5 to 14 centimeters tall with soft puberulent stems, it displays a compact and understated form. Its leaves are slender, ranging 5 to 25 millimeters long, varying from linear to oblanceolate in shape and contributing to its subtle botanical character. The small flowers emerge on extremely short pedicels of 0.5 to 1 millimeter, with a puberulent calyx featuring nearly equal lobes 0.8 to 2 millimeters long.

Habitat: Granitic soils or sand near outcrops, disturbed areas

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 2000-3400 m

Bioregions: KR, CaRH, SN

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