Diplacus tricolor

Tricolor monkeyflower

Family: Phrymaceae · Type: annual · Native

Tricolor monkeyflower is a California native annual found in southern North Coast Ranges, northern North Coast Ranges, eastern Great Valley, and southwestern Modoc Plateau in vernally wet depressions at elevations generally below 600 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces magenta to purple flowers with a white throat marked by yellow folds and a distinctive large maroon-purple spot at the base of each lobe. Growing with slender stems 1 to 14 centimeters tall and densely covered in fine hairs, it forms delicate compact plants. Its narrow leaves range from 8 to 45 millimeters long, appearing elliptic to oblanceolate and lacking ciliate edges. Individual flowers emerge solitary at each node, creating a subtle, intricate display in its vernally wet habitat.

Habitat: Vernally wet depressions

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: generally < 600 m (< 1500 m in MP)

Bioregions: s NCoRO (s Sonoma Co.), NCoRI, e GV, sw MP

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.