Erythranthe arenicola

Beach monkeyflower

Family: Phrymaceae · Type: annual · Native

Beach monkeyflower is a California native annual found along sandy coastal habitats in coastal regions at elevations of 0 to 100 meters. Flowering from April to August, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with a distinctive tubular shape, exserted 4 to 8 millimeters beyond the calyx. Growing with erect or rarely prostrate glandular-hairy stems 3 to 17 centimeters tall, it has a delicate and compact structure. Its leaves are small, measuring 5 to 17 millimeters long, ovate to round with crenate edges and becoming progressively smaller toward the stem's tip. The plant produces asymmetrically swollen fruits 5 to 12 millimeters long, with unequal calyx lobes that curve upward when mature.

Habitat: Sandy beaches, sea cliffs

Bloom period: Apr-Aug

Elevation: 0-100 m

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