Keckiella ternata

Blue stemmed keckiella

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Blue stemmed keckiella is a California native shrub found in rocky or chaparral habitats across California's coastal and mountain regions. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces striking red flowers with long tubular corollas measuring 21 to 31 millimeters in length. Growing with spreading to erect stems up to 2.5 meters tall, it features distinctive wand-like stems that are glaucous and young stems remain glabrous. Its leaves are uniquely arranged in whorls of three, with narrow linear to lance-shaped blades 15 to 60 millimeters long, often folded and curved with 5 to 11 sharp teeth along the margins. The plant's staminodes are densely covered in yellow hairs, adding to its botanical intrigue.

California counties: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, Riverside, Kern, Tulare, Orange, Santa Barbara, Ventura

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