Sparaxis tricolor

Harlequin flower

Family: Iridaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Harlequin flower is a naturalized perennial found in the central coastal California bioregion in disturbed sites at elevations below 50 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces striking multi-colored flowers with white, purple, and yellow petals in distinctive combinations. Growing with slender upright stems approximately 15 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms delicate clumps in open ground. Its sword-shaped leaves are arranged in a fan-like pattern, emerging directly from the base of the plant. Native to southern Africa, this ornamental species has become an occasional visitor to California's landscape.

Habitat: Uncommon. Disturbed sites

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: < 50 m

Bioregions: CCo

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