Pickeringia montana
Chaparral pea
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Berger · licence
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Pickeringia montana (Chaparral pea) is a native California shrub in the Fabaceae family, recognized by CA's only *Pickeringia*; spiny evergreen chaparral shrub, magenta pea flowers.
Chaparral pea is a California native shrub found in central and southern California mountain ranges in chaparral and woodland habitats. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces deep purple flowers 1.5 to 1.8 centimeters long in distinctive racemes that appear before the leaves on new growth. Growing with intricately branched stems 1 to 3 meters tall, it develops terminal or axillary thorns that give the plant a rugged appearance. Its evergreen leaves are simple or palmately compound with 2 to 3 elliptic or ovate leaflets each 1 to 2 centimeters long. The fruit is a distinctive dehiscent pod 3 to 6 centimeters long with a often wavy margin, containing 1 to 8 seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: CA's only *Pickeringia*; spiny evergreen chaparral shrub, magenta pea flowers
Habitat and range
California counties: San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, Napa, San Bernardino, Riverside, Marin, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Lake, Nevada, El Dorado, San Mateo, Solano, Contra Costa, Butte, Yuba, Mendocino, Sonoma, Ventura, Santa Clara, Colusa
How to tell it apart
vs Lathyrus: Pickeringia is a dense woody shrub; sweet pea is a climbing vine with tendrils.; vs Ceanothus: Pickeringia has large pea-shaped flowers; ceanothus has tiny flowers in dense puffy clusters.; vs Polygala: Pickeringia has typical pea flowers; milkwort has flowers with wing-like sepals and fringed petals.; vs Acmispon: Pickeringia is a large woody shrub with spines; deerweed is small and herbaceous without spines.; vs Salvia: Pickeringia has pea flowers; sage has tubular two-lipped flowers and aromatic square stems.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pickeringia montana native to California?
Yes. Pickeringia montana is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Pickeringia montana grow?
Pickeringia montana occurs in San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, Napa, San Bernardino, Riverside, Marin and other counties.
What plant family does Pickeringia montana belong to?
Pickeringia montana is in the Fabaceae family, genus Pickeringia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.