Diplacus torreyi
Torrey's monkeyflower
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Family: Phrymaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Diplacus torreyi (Torrey's monkeyflower) is a native California herb in the Phrymaceae family, recognized by distinctive yellow throat stripes and lip positioning.
Torrey's monkeyflower is a California native annual found in southern California Ranges and Sierra Nevada in bare or disturbed, open areas at elevations of 600 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces light rose to magenta flowers with distinctive yellow stripes and dark magenta lower lip margins. Growing with slender stems 4 to 38 centimeters tall and covered in fine hairs, it has a delicate, sprawling form. Its leaves are oblanceolate or elliptic, generally 6 to 40 millimeters long with barely noticeable petioles that become smaller toward the stem tips. The fruit develops 6 to 11 millimeters long, completing the plant's brief but vibrant annual lifecycle.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 17 sympatric species; distinguished by distinctive yellow throat stripes and lip positioning
Habitat and range
Habitat: Bare or disturbed, open areas
Elevation: 600-2000 m
Bloom period
Diplacus torreyi 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 torreyi native to California?
Yes. Diplacus torreyi is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Diplacus torreyi bloom?
Diplacus torreyi blooms May-Aug.
What plant family does Diplacus torreyi belong to?
Diplacus torreyi is in the Phrymaceae family, genus Diplacus.
What habitat does Diplacus torreyi grow in?
Diplacus torreyi grows in Bare or disturbed, open areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
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.