Erythranthe exigua

San bernardino mountains monkeyflower, eye strain monkeyflower

Family: Phrymaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

San bernardino mountains monkeyflower is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in the San Bernardino Mountains on gentle slopes and along small streams in clay soils at elevations of 1,800 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces delicate lavender flowers with small tube-like throats nestled above slender pedicels. Growing as a diminutive plant just 2 to 10 centimeters tall, it features minutely puberulent stems with sparse, narrow leaves. Its leaves are 2 to 8 millimeters long, narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate, growing closely along the slender stem. The fruit is small and nearly spherical, measuring 3 to 4 millimeters and slightly larger than the plant's calyx.

Habitat: Gentle slopes, along small streams, runoff areas in clay soils

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: 1800-2300 m

Bioregions: SnBr

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