Diplacus rupicola
Death valley monkeyflower, Death Valley Monkeyflower
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Berger · licence
Family: Phrymaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Diplacus rupicola (Death valley monkeyflower) is a native California herb in the Phrymaceae family, recognized by perennial habit and distinctive flower spots.
Death valley monkeyflower is a rare (CNPS 4.3) California native perennial found in northern Death Valley Mountains, including Cottonwood, Funeral, Grapevine, and Panamint ranges in limestone cliff crevices at elevations of 310 to 1,830 meters. Flowering from February to June, this plant produces delicate pink to white flowers with a distinctive large magenta-purple spot at the base of each lobe, creating a striking color contrast. Growing with short, compact stems 5 to 17 centimeters tall and covered in fine soft hairs, the plant forms small, dense clusters in rocky habitats. Its leaves are oblanceolate, measuring 18 to 60 millimeters long, with a smooth margin and a pale green coloration that blends with its rocky environment. The fruit is a small, slightly curved ovoid-oblong capsule 3 to 8 millimeters long, containing just a few tiny seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species; distinguished by perennial habit and distinctive flower spots
Habitat and range
Habitat: Limestone cliff crevices
Elevation: 310-1830 m
Bloom period
Diplacus rupicola blooms Feb-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 rupicola native to California?
Yes. Diplacus rupicola is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Diplacus rupicola bloom?
Diplacus rupicola blooms Feb-Jun.
What plant family does Diplacus rupicola belong to?
Diplacus rupicola is in the Phrymaceae family, genus Diplacus.
Is Diplacus rupicola rare or endangered?
Diplacus rupicola carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S4.
What habitat does Diplacus rupicola grow in?
Diplacus rupicola grows in Limestone cliff crevices.
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.