Diplacus pulchellus
Yellow-lip pansy monkeyflower, Yellow-Lip Pansy Monkeyflower
(c) Adam J. Searcy, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Adam J. Searcy · licence
Family: Phrymaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2
Diplacus pulchellus (Yellow-lip pansy monkeyflower) is a native California herb in the Phrymaceae family, recognized by found in vernally wet areas in central Sierra Nevada foothills.
Yellow-lip pansy monkeyflower is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in northern and central Sierra Nevada Foothill counties of Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Mariposa in vernally wet depressions and seepage areas at elevations of 600 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces lavender to purple flowers with a distinctive golden-yellow lower lip marked with small dark dots at its base. Growing extremely compact and tiny, less than 1 centimeter tall with puberulent stems, it forms dense, delicate clusters. Its leaves are linear, 8 to 35 millimeters long, with ciliate edges especially on the lower half of the plant. The small fruit is oblique-ovoid, hard, and approximately 3 to 5.5 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated; found in vernally wet areas in central Sierra Nevada foothills
Habitat and range
Habitat: Vernally wet depressions or seepage areas
Elevation: 600-2000 m
Bloom period
Diplacus pulchellus blooms Apr-Jul.
Conservation status
CNPS 1B.2
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 pulchellus native to California?
Yes. Diplacus pulchellus is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Diplacus pulchellus bloom?
Diplacus pulchellus blooms Apr-Jul.
What plant family does Diplacus pulchellus belong to?
Diplacus pulchellus is in the Phrymaceae family, genus Diplacus.
Is Diplacus pulchellus rare or endangered?
Diplacus pulchellus carries California Rare Plant Rank 1B.2, state rank S2.
What habitat does Diplacus pulchellus grow in?
Diplacus pulchellus grows in Vernally wet depressions or seepage areas.
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.