Erythranthe norrisii

Kaweah monkeyflower

Family: Phrymaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Kaweah monkeyflower is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native annual found in southern Sierra Nevada Foothills in the Kaweah River drainage of Tulare County, growing in marble crevices at elevations of 600 to 1,300 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces yellow flowers with a distinctive red-purple dot at the base of each lobe and occasional white dots between flower sinuses. Growing 3 to 15 centimeters tall with ascending stems that are noticeably hairy, it develops delicate branching structures. Its leaves are ovate, 15 to 45 millimeters long with pinnate veins, tapering gently toward the petiole. The fruit is small, 4 to 6 millimeters long and late-dehiscent, completing the plant's compact annual lifecycle.

Habitat: Marble crevices

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 600-1300 m

Bioregions: s SNF (Kaweah River drainage, Tulare Co.).

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