Downingia ornatissima var. mirabilis

Folded calicoflower

Family: Campanulaceae · Type: annual · Native

Folded calicoflower is a California native annual found in the southern Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley in vernal pools and roadside ditches at elevations up to 160 meters. Flowering from April to May, this delicate plant produces flowers with distinctive upper corolla lobes that are densely hairy near the tips, with petals that may be reflexed or slightly curved. Growing low to the ground with slender, branching stems typical of annual wildflowers, it forms compact clusters in seasonal wet areas. Its leaves are likely narrow and deeply green, adapting to the ephemeral nature of its vernal pool habitat. The flower's intricate design, with its hairy upper lobes, makes this small annual a remarkable feature of California's seasonal wetland landscapes.

Habitat: Vernal pools, roadside ditches

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: < +- 160(230) m

Bioregions: s ScV (Sacramento Co.), SnJV.

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