Diplacus mephiticus
Skunky monkeyflower
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Phrymaceae · Type: Annual · Native
Diplacus mephiticus (Skunky monkeyflower) is a native California annual in the Phrymaceae family, recognized by habitat, odor, and flower size/color variation.
Skunky monkeyflower is a California native annual found in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, southern Modoc Plateau, and southern eastern Sierra Nevada in openings of sagebrush and disturbed granite slopes at elevations of 470 to 3,975 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces magenta, dark red-purple, or yellow flowers with a tube-throat 11 to 19 millimeters long and a corolla limb 9 to 17 millimeters wide. Growing 2 to 15 centimeters tall with glandular-hairy stems and a primary axis that is most dominant, particularly forming tufted clusters at higher elevations. Its dull olive-green leaves are notably hairy, especially along the margins, with proximal-most stem internodes slightly longer than others. The fruit is generally 6 to 12 millimeters long, developing on nodes that are relatively evenly spaced along the plant's structure.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 14 sympatric species; distinguished by habitat, odor, and flower size/color variation
Habitat and range
Habitat: Openings in sagebrush or on disturbed slopes, generally around granite
Elevation: 470-3975 m
Outside California: Nevada
Bloom period
Diplacus mephiticus 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 mephiticus native to California?
Yes. Diplacus mephiticus is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Diplacus mephiticus bloom?
Diplacus mephiticus blooms May-Aug.
What plant family does Diplacus mephiticus belong to?
Diplacus mephiticus is in the Phrymaceae family, genus Diplacus.
What habitat does Diplacus mephiticus grow in?
Diplacus mephiticus grows in Openings in sagebrush or on disturbed slopes, generally around granite.
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.