Emmenanthe rosea

Pink whispering bells

Family: Hydrophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

Pink whispering bells is a California native annual found in San Francisco Bay Area, south-central coastal ranges, and northern western Transverse Ranges near Mount Pinos in talus slopes, rocky, sandy, and serpentine soils at elevations of 400 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from April to June, this delicate plant produces white to pink flowers that fade to off-white or dark pink, with blossoms 8 to 12 millimeters long arranged in small clusters. Growing 4 to 25 centimeters tall with red-green stems that are minimally branched, it has a slender and compact form. Its leaves are 1 to 6 centimeters long and 1 to 2 centimeters wide, displaying rich red or dark blue-green coloration. The fruit is an ovoid capsule 6 to 12 millimeters long, containing 6 to 12 seeds.

Habitat: Talus slopes, rocky, sandy, or serpentine soils, generally after fire

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 400-1800 m

Bioregions: SnFrB, SCoRI, n WTR (Mount Pinos).

California counties: Ventura, Santa Clara, Monterey, San Benito, Fresno, Merced, Stanislaus

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