San Francisco Collinsia

San Francisco collinsia is a delicate annual herb with slender, lacy stems that grow 30 to 60 centimeters tall. The thick leaves, growing in opposite pairs along the stem, have a slender, triangular shape with gently serrated edges. The upper stems, near the red-veined flower bases, are hairy and sticky. The beautiful white and lavender flowers grow in whorls or clusters around the dainty stem, typically with more near the top. The tubular flower, about 1-2 cm high and wide, has two white upper lobes, often dotted with purple, and three lavender lower lobes.

Basic Information

• Member of the Plantaginaceae, or plantain, family

• Annual herb

• On the CNPS rare plant inventory

Habitat

• Endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area, from San Francisco south to Santa Cruz

  • Populations south of Santa Cruz have been extirpated (gone extinct)

• Found in the shady, moist areas of coniferous forests and coastal chaparral communities

Reproduction

• Blooms from March to May

Alternative Names

• San Francisco Blue Eyed Mary, San Francisco Blue-eyed Mary