Diplacus parviflorus
Island bush monkeyflower
(c) Steve Matson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Phrymaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Diplacus parviflorus (Island bush monkeyflower) is a native California shrub in the Phrymaceae family, recognized by flower size and leaf characteristics.
Island bush monkeyflower is a California native shrub found on the Channel Islands including Anacapa, San Clemente, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa in rocky hillsides, canyon walls, and cliffs at elevations below 600 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces dark orange to red flowers with tubular corollas and distinctive lobes. Growing as a subshrub with glabrous stems, it reaches variable heights with lance-elliptic to ovate leaves that are uniformly green and can have slightly rolled edges during drought conditions. Its leaves are typically entire or lightly toothed, with smooth surfaces and flat or slightly curved margins. Typically bearing two flowers per node, the plant produces fruits 14 to 21 millimeters long that split along the upper suture.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 7 sympatric species; distinguished by flower size and leaf characteristics
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky hillsides, canyon walls, cliffs
Elevation: < 600 m
Bloom period
Diplacus parviflorus blooms Mar-Jun.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
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 parviflorus native to California?
Yes. Diplacus parviflorus is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Diplacus parviflorus bloom?
Diplacus parviflorus blooms Mar-Jun.
What plant family does Diplacus parviflorus belong to?
Diplacus parviflorus is in the Phrymaceae family, genus Diplacus.
Is Diplacus parviflorus rare or endangered?
Diplacus parviflorus carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S4.
What habitat does Diplacus parviflorus grow in?
Diplacus parviflorus grows in Rocky hillsides, canyon walls, cliffs.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.