Erythranthe barbata

Bearded monkeyflower

Family: Phrymaceae · Type: annual · Native

Bearded monkeyflower is a California native annual found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at elevations of 1,800 to 3,400 meters, growing in decomposed granite at the edges of meadows and streams and occasionally in open sandy barrens. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces yellow flowers with a distinctive maroon upper lip, the delicate blooms measuring 8 to 12 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems 2 to 15 centimeters tall and sparsely covered in glandular hairs, it forms compact clusters in alpine and subalpine environments. Its narrow leaves range from 5 to 19 millimeters long, linear to oblanceolate in shape, with tapered bases and unrolled margins. The tiny fruits measure 2 to 5 millimeters long, developing from equally small calyces with acute, glabrous lobes.

Habitat: Decomposed granite at edges of meadows and streams, occasionally in open sandy barrens

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 1800-3400 m

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