Orthocarpus imbricatus

Imbricate owl's clover

Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: annual · Native

Imbricate owl's clover is a California native annual found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, and Cascade Ranges in mountain meadows and grassy or rocky slopes at elevations of 1,600 to 2,400 meters. Flowering from June to August, this delicate plant produces rose-colored flowers with yellow lower lips, partially hidden by intricately net-veined bracts. Growing 10 to 35 centimeters tall with simple or branched stems that are slightly hairy, it has a slender, upright form. Its lanceolate leaves measure 20 to 50 millimeters long and remain entire, providing a subtle green backdrop to the distinctive floral structure. The flower's unique corolla features a rose-colored upper section with a conspicuous hooked tip and a moderately pouched yellow lower lip with tiny triangular teeth.

Habitat: Mountain meadows, grassy or rocky slopes

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 1600-2400 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRO, CaR

California counties: Trinity, Alpine, Del Norte, Siskiyou, Shasta, Tuolumne, Humboldt, Lassen, Tehama, El Dorado

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