Pholistoma racemosum

Racemed fiestaflower

Family: Hydrophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

Racemed fiestaflower is a California native annual found in southern California coastal regions, Channel Islands, and Peninsular Ranges in moist shaded areas, hillsides, ravines, and coastal scrub at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from February to May, this plant produces delicate white to blue flowers in small clusters 5 to 15 millimeters wide. Growing with stems 20 to 60 centimeters tall, it develops narrow-winged leaf petioles that clasp the stem. Its lower leaves are ovate to nearly triangular, 3 to 10 centimeters long, with 5 to 9 obtuse or acute lobes that are either entire or slightly toothed. The fruit is enclosed in the calyx and measures 5 to 8 millimeters wide.

Habitat: Moist shaded, areas, hillsides, ravines, ocean bluffs, coastal scrub

Bloom period: Feb-May

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: SCo, ChI, PR

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

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