Scrophularia californica

California figwort

Family: Scrophulariaceae · Type: perennial · Native

California figwort is a California native perennial found in the California Floristic Province in damp places, chaparral, and roadsides at elevations up to 2,500 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces red to maroon upper flower lobes with paler lower lobes, creating a distinctive two-toned appearance. Growing with robust stems 80 to 120 centimeters tall, it develops a substantial presence in its habitat. Its large leaves are dark to light green, with blades 8 to 17 centimeters long, having a heart-shaped or occasionally wedge-shaped base. The flower calyx features triangular-ovate green lobes with delicate scarious margins, adding subtle textural interest to the plant's overall structure.

Habitat: Common; damp places, chaparral, roadsides

Bloom period: Mar-Jul

Elevation: < 2500 m

Bioregions: CA-FP

California counties: Humboldt, San Diego, Los Angeles, Kern, Riverside, Orange, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Napa, San Bernardino, Tulare, Santa Barbara, Sonoma, San Mateo, Mendocino, Marin, Siskiyou, Ventura, Santa Cruz, Alameda, Mono, Santa Clara, Colusa, Del Norte, Alpine, Tehama, Solano, Yolo, Fresno, Mariposa, Sacramento, Tuolumne, Merced, San Francisco, Lassen, Madera, El Dorado, Contra Costa, Calaveras, Modoc, Lake, Inyo, San Benito, Yuba, Butte, Sutter, Placer, Amador, Stanislaus, Shasta

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