Primula suffrutescens

Sierra primrose

Family: Primulaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Sierra primrose is a California native shrub found in the Klamath Ranges, Sierra Nevada, and eastern Sierra Nevada in rock crevices at elevations of 2,000 to 4,200 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces magenta flowers with yellow throats on short stems. Growing as a creeping subshrub with a woody base, it forms branched stems 10 to 15 centimeters tall. Its leaves are fleshy, spoon-shaped, 15 to 35 millimeters long, with rounded tips and slightly toothed edges. The flowers emerge from glandular scapes with 2 to several short pedicels, creating delicate clusters among rocky alpine landscapes.

Habitat: Generally rock crevices

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: generally 2000-4200 m

Bioregions: KR, SNH, SNH/SNE.

California counties: Mono, Inyo, Fresno, Tulare, Madera, Alpine, Siskiyou, Nevada, Mariposa, El Dorado, Placer, Plumas, Sierra, Trinity, Butte, Amador, Tuolumne

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