Leptosiphon croceus

Coast yellow leptosiphon

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Coast yellow leptosiphon is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in northern central coastal areas including Montara in San Mateo County, in open, grassy coastal bluffs at near sea level. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with distinctive red spots at the base of each delicate, rounded petal. Growing with much-branched stems 2 to 7 centimeters tall and short internodes, it forms compact, intricate clusters in its coastal habitat. Its leaves have 4 to 7 millimeter lobes that are narrowly obovate, slightly thickened, with a rounded middle lobe. The delicate plant has a salverform yellow to reddish flower tube reaching 26 to 39 millimeters long, with yellow-orange throats and bright yellow petals.

Habitat: Local, open, grassy areas, coastal bluffs

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: +- 0 m.

Bioregions: n CCo (Montara, San Mateo Co.).

California counties: San Mateo

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