Wildflower Identification Guide (Pink)

Coarsegold, California
Revised 12-26-12

NOTES True Baby Stars (Closeup)	True Baby Stars Linanthus bicolor Phlox family	NOTES Bachelor's Button (Closeup)	Bachelor's Button AKA Cornflower Centaurea cyanus Sunflower family
NOTES Himalayan Blackberry (Closeup)	Himalayan Blackberry, Fruit Rubus discolor Rose family	NOTES Twining Brodiaea (Closeup)	Twining Brodiaea AKA Snake Lily Dichelostemma volubile Lily family
NOTES California Buckwheat (Closeup)	California Buckwheat, Leaves Eriogonum fasciculatum Buckwheat family	NOTES Wild Carnation (Closeup)	Wild Carnation Petrorhagia dubia Pink family
NOTES Charming Centaury (Closeup)	Charming Centaury AKA Canchalagua Centaurium venustum Gentium family	NOTES Sticky Chinese Houses (Closeup)	Sticky Chinese Houses Collinsia heterophylla Figwort family
NOTES Diamond Clarkia (Closeup) AKA Diamond Fairyfan Clarkia modesta Evening Primrose family	NOTES Elegant Clarkia (Closeup)	Elegant Clarkia Clarkia elegans Evening Primrose family	Elegant Clarkia, Double (Closeup)
Elegant Clarkia, Double	Elegant Clarkia, Double (Closeup)	Elegant Clarkia, Spotted variant
NOTES Farewell-to-Spring (Closeup)	Farewell-to-Spring AKA Herald-of-Summer Clarkia dudleyana Evening Primrose family	NOTES Pinkfairies Clarkia (Closeup)	Pinkfairies Clarkia AKA Deerhorn Clarkia Clarkia pulchella Evening Primrose family
NOTES Speckled Clarkia (Closeup)	Speckled Clarkia, Leaves Clarkia cylindrica Evening Primrose family	NOTES Williamson's Clarkia (Closeup)	Williamson's Clarkia AKA Ft Miller Clarkia Clarkia williamsonii Evening Primrose family
NOTES Winecup Clarkia (Closeup)	Winecup Clarkia AKA Purple Clarkia Clarkia purpurea Evening Primrose family	NOTES Woodland Clarkia (Closeup)	Woodland Clarkia, Leaves Clarkia unguiculata Evening Primrose family
NOTES Red Clover (Closeup)	Red Clover Trifolium pratense Pea family	NOTES Rose Clover (Closeup)	Rose Clover Trifolium hirtum Pea family
NOTES Tomcat Clover (Closeup)	Tomcat Clover, Leaves Trifolium tridentatum Pea family	NOTES White-Tipped Clover (Closeup)	White-Tipped Clover AKA White-Topped Clover Trifolium variegatum
Clover UIDP02 Trifolium sp. Lvs similar to T. albopurpureum Pea family		NOTES Fairy Lantern (Closeup)	Fairy Lantern AKA Rose Globe Lily Calochortus amoenus Lily family
NOTES Broadleaf Filaree (Closeup)	Broadleaf Filaree AKA Long-Beaked Filaree, Storksbill, Cranesbill, Clocks, Alfilaria Erodium botrys Geranium family	NOTES Redstem Filaree (Closeup)	Redstem Filaree AKA Storksbill, Cranesbill, Clocks, Alfilaria Erodium brachycarpum Geranium family
NOTES Dove's-Foot Geranium (Closeup)	Dove's-Foot Geranium, Leaves Geranium molle Geranium family	NOTES Bird's-Eye Gilia (Closeup)	Bird's-Eye Gilia Gilia tricolor Phlox family
NOTES Purple False Gilyflower (Closeup)	Purple False Gilyflower, Leaves AKA Straggling Gilia, Purple False Gilia Allophyllum divaricatum Phlox family	NOTES Whitestem Hedge-Nettle (Closeup)	Whitestem Hedge-Nettle, Leaves Stachys albens Mint family
NOTES Butterfly Mariposa Lily (Closeup)	Butterfly Mariposa Lily AKA Butterfly Mariposa, Square Mariposa Tulip Calochortus venustus Lily family	NOTES Hyssop Loosestrife (Closeup)	Hyssop Loosestrife, Leaves Lythrum hyssopifolium Evening Primrose family
NOTES Spanish Lotus (Closeup)	Spanish Lotus, Leaves AKA Spanish Clover Lotus purshianus Pea family	NOTES Whiteleaf Manzanita (Closeup)	Whiteleaf Manzanita Arctostaphylos viscida Heath family
NOTES Narrowleaf Milkweed (Closeup)	Narrowleaf Milkweed, Leaves Asclepias fascicularis Milkweed family	NOTES Purple Milkweed (Closeup)	Purple Milkweed, Leaves Asclepias cordifolia Milkweed family
NOTES Bolander's Monkeyflower (Closeup)	Bolander's Monkeyflower, Leaves Mimulus bolanderi Snapdragon family	NOTES Layne's Monkeyflower (Closeup)	Layne's Monkeyflower, Leaves Mimulus layneae Snapdragon family
NOTES Slenderstalk Monkeyflower (Closeup)	Slenderstalk Monkeyflower, Leaves Mimulus gracilipes Robinson Snapdragon famiy	Monkeyflower Sp P08 (Closeup)	Monkeyflower Sp P08, Leaves Mimulus sp. Snapdragon family
Monkeyflower Sp1 Mimulus sp. Snapdragon family	NOTES Torrey's Monkeyflower CU Mimulus torreyi Snapdragon family	NOTES Sticky Navarretia (Closeup)	Sticky Navarretia Navarretia viscidula Phlox family
NOTES Glassy Onion (Closeup)	Glassy Onion Allium hyalinum Lily family	NOTES Purple Owl's Clover (Closeup)	Purple Owl's Clover AKA Escobita Castilleja exserta Snapdragon family
NOTES Slender Phlox (Closeup)	Slender Phlox, Leaves Microsteris gracilis Phlox family	NOTES Western Showy Phlox (Closeup)	Western Showy Phlox, Leaves Phlox speciosa ssp. occidentalis Phlox family
NOTES Spike Primrose (Closeup)	Spike Primrose, Leaves AKA Dense-Flowered Willowherb Epilobium densiflorum Evening Primrose family	NOTES Wild Radish (Closeup)	Wild Radish, Leaves Raphanus sativas Mustard family
NOTES Sticky Sandspurry (Closeup)	Sticky Sandspurry Spergularia macrotheca Pink family	NOTES Longspur Seablush (Closeup)	Longspur Seablush, Leaves AKA Long-Spurred Plectritis Plectritis ciliosa Valerian family
NOTES Foothill Shooting Star (Closeup)	Foothill Shooting Star AKA Henderson's Shooting Star, Dodecatheon hendersonii Primrose family	NOTES Clustered Spineflower (Closeup)	Clustered Spineflower Chorizanthe membranacea Buckwheat family
NOTES Spotted Spurge Chamaesyce maculata Spurge family		NOTES California Thistle (Closeup)	California Thistle, Leaves Cirsium occidentale Sunflower family
NOTES Canada Thistle (Closeup)	Canada Thistle, Leaves Cirsium arvense Sunflower family	NOTES Spring Vetch (Closeup)	Spring Vetch, Leaves Vicia sativa Pea family
NOTES Glandular Willow-Herb (Closeup)	Glandular Willow-Herb, Leaves AKA Slender Willow Herb Fringed Willow Herb Epilobium ciliatum ssp. glandulosum Evening Primrose family

NOTES:

Bachelor's Button
Bloom: May–June
Description: Annual herb, 3'. Stems erect, slender. Leaves linear with light gray hairs. Fluffy flower heads are blue, purple, pink, or white.
Special: Not native.   BACK
Bird's-Eye Gilia
Bloom: March–April
Description: Annual herb, 4–12". Very narrow, threadlike leaves. Multicolored flowers; the narrow flower tube is yellow to orange, with 5 deep purple lines or splotches at its mouth. The 5 petals flare out of the tube into a shallow-dime-sized bowl. The petals are white (or pale blue) at the base, blending into blue-violet or pink at the tips. The 5 stamens, which alternate with the petals, add a final touch of color: The anthers are covered with deep-blue pollen. Several clusters of 2–5 flowers each branch off the slender stem.
Special: Native. Flowers close up on cloudy days.   BACK
Bolander's Monkeyflower
Bloom: May–July
Description: Annual herb, ½–2'. Red-purple flowers with white lines. Petal lobes unequal, upper shorter. Leaves very sticky.
Special: Native; limited to California.   BACK
Broadleaf Filaree
Bloom: February–June
Description: Creeper, some branches to 1' high, others 20" long. Leaves lobed. Flowers (about ½") deep reddish-lavender, 5 petals, 2–10 in loose cluster.
Special: When dry, the long, beaked seeds coil into a corkscrew, which burrows into clothing, skin, and animal fur.   BACK
Butterfly Mariposa Lily
Bloom: May–July
Description: 4–12". Perennial bulb. 3 pinkish red petals Rectangular yellow spot at the petal base. An upper dark red spot has a yellowish border. Coloring usually white, but this form appears in the central Sierra Nevada.
Special: Native, limited to California. The patterns vary from flower to flower, but all are intricately beautiful. BACK
California Buckwheat
Bloom: May–August
Description: Annual or perennial herb or subshrub. Leaves entire, often with woolly hairs on at least one surface. Flowering stalks have only a few leaves or none. Flowers form tight balls or clusters, arranged in a terminal umbel, white in late spring, gradually turning pink in summer, and rust-colored in fall. The rusty flowers commonly stay on until the next spring.
Special: Native. Hardy and drought-tolerant. Stems of most Buckwheat spp. edible before flowering. Seeds edible when ground & used as flour. Flowers, leaves, & seeds are used by small animals. BACK
California Thistle
Bloom: April–July
Description: Perennial herb, 1–4'. Flowers pale pink. Bracts have small tufts of cottony hair near each base. Stems gray with a few very short leaves.
Special: Native; limited to California. Roots may be eaten raw, boiled, or roasted. Peeled stems may be cooked as greens. Young leaves edible raw.   BACK
Canada Thistle
Bloom: June–September
Description: Perennial herb, 1–3½'. Numerous marblelike flower heads. Heads, stem, leaves are shiny and "varnished." Leaves slender, lancelike with shallowly lobed spiny margins, green on both sides.
Special: Not native; invasive. Likes disturbed places. BACK
Charming Centaury

Bloom: May–August
Description: Annual herb, 4–12". Long-pediceled, bright pink-colored flowers with white throats and red dots.
Special: Native; limited to California.   BACK
Clustered Spineflower
Bloom: April–July
Description: Pink clusters, each flower umbrellalike with 6 long, hooked spines.
Special: Native; limited to California.   BACK
Diamond Clarkia
Bloom: Spring.
Description: Annual herb, 1–2½'. ½" flowers with four bright pink diamond-shaped petals. Buds pendulous. Dry slopes.
Special: Native.   BACK
Dove's-Foot Geranium

Bloom: Summer–Fall
Description: Annual or perennial herb, to 8". Flowers small, pink, with notches at the tip of each petal. Leaves simple-palmate. Pistil develops into a shorter, thicker, needle-like seed pod.
Special: Not native; invasive. Similar in appearance to Filaree, but without corkscrew seeds. BACK

Elegant Clarkia
Bloom: May–July
Description: Annual perennial, 12". Leaves linear, ¾–3". Showy flowers are 4-petaled, pink or purple, lighter at the center, with a dark splotch along the upper edge. 8 stamens.
Special: Native. Flowers close at night, reopen in morning. There are 30–40 species of Clarkia in California.   BACK
Fairy Lantern
Bloom: April–June
Description: Perennial glabrous herb. Leaves usually linear, the basal solitary. Stem slender, erect. Narrow, nodding bell-shaped flowers are deep rose.
Special: Native; limited to California. The bulbs are edible raw, cooked, or dried & ground into flour. The seeds are also edible. Because they are one of the most beautiful of Sierra flowers, they should be eaten only in emergencies.   BACK
Farewell-to-Spring
Bloom: May–July
Description: Annual herb, 12". Leaves linear, ¾–3". Showy flowers are 4-petaled, pink or purple, lighter at the center, with a dark splotch along the upper edge. 8 stamens.
Special: Native. Flowers close at night, reopen in morning. There are 30–40 species of Clarkia in California.   BACK
Foothill Shooting Star

Bloom: February–March
Description: Perennial herb, 2–24". Nodding flowers; 5 petals are pink to lavender with yellow and white bands.
Special: Native. BACK
Glandular Willow-Herb

Bloom: June–August
Description: Perennial herb, 1–3'. Tiny bilobed pale pink petals. Stem minutely sticky-haired, leaves opposite. Tiny bulblike swellings at base of stem.
Special:   Native. Photographed at Oak Creek. BACK

Glassy Onion

Bloom: May–July
Description: Perennial from a bulb, up to 1' tall. From the base of the plant grow 2 or 3 linear, thin, flat leaves. Umbels have 6-tepaled flowers on a leafless stalk.
Special: Native; limited to California. Natives ate the leaves and bulbs. Minor toxicity.   BACK

Himalayan Blackberry
Bloom: Late Spring–Early Summer
Description: Flowers about 1" wide and pink when new, turning white. Stems are thorny, arching. Larger stems are 5-sided, not round. Leaf underside is whitish; thorns are wide-based and somewhat curved.
Special:   Not native; invasive. Can take over streambeds. Delicious fruits are black or deep purplish black when ripe. BACK
Hyssop Loosestrife
Bloom:   April–October
Description:   Annual or perennial, ½–2'. Flowers without pedicels. Leaves alternate. Stems 4-sided.
Special:   Not native; invasive.   BACK
Layne's Monkeyflower
Bloom: May–August
Description: Annual herb, 4–12". Dark rose flower with white throat, rose dots, dark blotch in the crease of the lowermost projecting petal.
Special: Native, limited to California.    BACK
Longspur Seablush

Bloom: March–May
Description: ��1�'. Annual herb. Small pink-purple flower head with elongated spur, two red dots. Leaves narrow, clasping.
Special: Native. BACK

Narrowleaf Milkweed
Bloom: June–September
Description: Perennial herb. Leaves linear to lanceolate, usually in whorls of 3–6.
Special: Native. Minor dermatitis. Leaves probably poisonous to cattle & humans. The white latex from most Milkweed spp. may be made into chewing gum by stirring & slightly heating till solid, then adding animal fat for lasting character.   BACK
Pinkfairies Clarkia
Bloom: Spring
Description: Does not grow naturally in our area; this one was planted from seed.   BACK
Purple False Gilyflower

Bloom: April–June
Description: Annual herb.
Special:   Native; limited to California.   BACK

Purple Milkweed
Bloom: May–July
Description: Perennial herb, up to 2' tall. Milky sap. Leaves opposite, clasping, ovate to heart-shaped (6"). Flowers in an umbel with 5 sepals reflexed, 5 petals spreading. Both stem and flowers are red-purple. Smooth stem & leaves are a waxy blue.
Special: Native. Yields a fiber that natives used for rope. Also used as a contraceptive & snakebite remedy. Monarch larvae feed on leaves of milkweeds. BACK
Purple Owl's Clover

Bloom: March–May.
Description:   Annual herb, 4–16", erect. Leaves parted into threadlike segments; stems are stiff & hairy. Pink to purple flowers, 1", with the 3 petals of the lower lip being white-tipped & spotted with yellow or purple, forming a pouch with 3 tiny teeth; the upper 2 petals form a narrow rose-purple hooked beak with a velvety cap. The bracts are the most conspicuous part of the bloom.
Special: Native. Spanish name means "little broom." Flowers may be eaten raw, but only in moderate quantities, as the plant has the ability to concentrate selenium if it is in the soil.   BACK

Red Clover
Bloom: April–October
Description:   Perennial herb, ½–2'. Large (1") oval flower head without bract. Leaf stipules tailed. Oblong leaflets have white chevron.
Special: Not native. Only the bumblebee's tongue is long enough to enter the keel.   BACK
Redstem Filaree
Bloom: February–June
Description: Annual herb. Leaves twice pinnate into narrow, sharp-pointed lobes. Long (¾–2") beaked seeds coil when dry. The red stems are in prostrate rosettes. Flowers are small, delicate, rosy petals.
Special: Not native; invasive.   BACK
Rose Clover
Bloom: Spring
Description: Annual herb.
Special: Not native; considered a weed.   BACK
Slender Phlox

Bloom: March�August
Description: Annual herb. �" pink to purple flowers with notched petal tips in terminal clusters. Sticky-haired lancelike leaves, 2�8".
Special: Native.   BACK

Slenderstalk Monkeyflower
Bloom: March–April
Description: Annual herb. Pink flowers with reddish purple throat and yellow anthers. Flowers are wider than tall.
Special: Native; limited to California. Rare and endangered. Often appears after fire or other disturbance on decomposed granite.   BACK
Spanish Lotus
Bloom: April–October
Description: Annual herb, ½–3'. One pale rose flower with 1 leaflike bract on long pedicel. Leaflets trifoliate, lancelike. Many pale gray hairs.
Special: Native. BACK
Speckled Clarkia
Bloom: May–June
Description: Annual herb, ½–2'. Large petals, lavender-tipped & shading to a central zone with pink flecks. Petal bases bright red-purple. Flower buds pendulous. Ovary 4-ribbed.
Special: Native.   BACK
Spike Primrose
Bloom: May–October
Description: Annual herb.
Special:  Native.   BACK
Spotted Spurge

Bloom: Summer
Description: Low-growing summer annual herb that often forms a dense mat. Flowers are small, pink, inconspicuous, formed in small clusters between the stem and the upper leaves. Oval leaves are bluish green, with a characteristic dark reddish spot.
Special: Not native. Considered a serious pest. A single plant is capable of producing several thousand seeds. Poisonous (at least to sheep).   BACK

Spring Vetch

Bloom:   April–July.
Description: Annual herb, vine, 1–3'. Vine. 1–2 red-purple flowers near the base of each leaf. 4–8 pairs of narrow leaves are blunt-tipped with tiny bristles.
Special:   Not native. Photographed at Oak Creek. BACK

Sticky Chinese Houses
Bloom: March–May
Description: Annual herb, 4–24". Leaves opposite, lance-shaped (sometimes toothed). Pea-like flower clusters in distinct layers. Flowers are almost 1". The 2-lipped corolla is pale lilac, pink, or purple; upper lip lighter, with many maroon dots at base.
Special: Native. Named for the structure of the flowers, in perfect rings widely spaced around the stem, forming a fairytale pagoda. Likes sandy soil, shaded flats or slopes.   BACK
Sticky Navarretia
Bloom: June–August
Description: Annual herb, 2–20". Leaves downy-glandular, once or twice pinnate. Flower is a 5-petaled tube.
Special: Native. Sharp spines in flower bract. Skunk odor.   BACK
Sticky Sandspurry
Bloom: All Year
Description: Perennial herb, 4–20". Leaves, stems, sepals have long gray hairs. Stems sprawl.
Special: Native.   BACK
Tomcat Clover
Bloom:   March–July
Description:   Annual herb. Flowers white-tipped. Leaflets narrowly lancelike. Each calyx lobe has 3 sharp points.
Special: Native.   BACK
Torrey's Monkeyflower
Bloom: May–August
Description: Annual herb, 2–16". Reddish purple flowers have two yellow ridges bordered by red and white in the throat.
Special: Native, limited to California.    BACK
True Baby Stars
Bloom: Early Spring
Description: Annual herb. Very small plant with shaving-brush leaves and tiny pink flowers with long, slender flower tubes.
Special: Native. BACK
Twining Brodiaea

Bloom: March–June
Description: Perennial herb, 2–5'. So weak it can't support itself, the stem twines tightly around anything in its vicinity (even itself!). The small (½") pink flowers are in a tight umbel. The flower tubes are short & stubby urns with six angular sacs. The tepals flare only partially, making the flowers appear partly closed.
Special: Native; limited to California. The flowers will continue to bloom & seed for quite some time even if the stem breaks.   BACK

Western Showy Phlox

Bloom:   April–June
Description:   Perennial herb. Deeply bilobed petals, long corolla tubes. Flowers are in loose clusters above long, lance-like leaves.
Special: Native. BACK

Whiteleaf Manzanita
Bloom: February–April
Description: Shrub, up to 16'. Branches deep maroon, shedding in thin strips. Leaves leathery, pale or gray-green, ovate to elliptic, up to 1½" wide. Inflorescence is a cluster of many 3/8" urn-shaped, nodding flowers, pink to white. Brown fruits (which have sticky surfaces) look like tiny apples, hence its name (manzanita is Spanish for "little apples").
Special: Native. Fruits are a valuable wildlife food source (genus name is Greek for "bear berries"). Natives ate berries raw & dried. Pulp used to make cider. Skin tonic made from leaves to relieve poison oak rash. Flowers edible. Manzanitas thrive on poor, stony soil, including burned areas, especially on dry slopes, usually in full sunlight.   BACK
Whitestem Hedge-Nettle
Bloom: May–June
Description: Perennial herb. Small pale pink flowers with projecting, scooplike lower lips, with the flower tube hidden in the calyx. 4 stamens. Scalloped leaves and stem are covered with soft, cobwebby white hairs.
Special: Native; limited to California. Found in damp stream bottoms. BACK
White-Tipped Clover
Bloom: April–July
Description: Annual herb, 4–16". Red-purple flower white- or pink-tipped. Leaflets narrowly oblong, sawtoothed. Leaf stipules have ragged edges.
Special: Native.   BACK
Wild Carnation
Bloom: May–June
Description: Annual, 4–24". Several pairs of short, opposite leaves occur at intervals along the stem; the leaves are sheathed at their base. The single wiry stem has a cluster of ¼–½" fluorescent-pink flowers, blending at the base to white inside the flower tube. But only one flower is apparent because each emerges from a cocoon of papery bracts. The base of each petal has deep red-purple markings (forming pale-pink rabbit ears). The anthers are a striking lavender. Each petal is lobed or deeply notched.
Special: Not native.   BACK
Wild Radish

Bloom: February–July
Description: Annual herb, 1–4'. Flowers various colors, including pink, yellow, and white. Broad pinnate leaves.
Special: Not native. BACK
Williamson's Clarkia
Bloom: May–June
Description: Annual herb, 1–3'. Large pink to lavender, wedge-shaped petals with purple spot in the upper half. Buds erect. Ovary 8-ribbed.
Special: Native. BACK
Winecup Clarkia
Bloom: May–June
Description: Annual herb, ½–2'. Small cuplike flowers, each petal fan-shaped. Flower buds erect.
Special: Native. BACK
Woodland Clarkia
Bloom: May–June
Description: Annual herb, 1–3'. Pink outer petal lobe with a darker red spot, rectangular to round on a threadlike base. 8 anthers.
Special: Native; limited to California.   BACK

NOTES:

Bloom: April–June Description: Perennial herb. Deeply bilobed petals, long corolla tubes. Flowers are in loose clusters above long, lance-like leaves. Special: Native. BACK

Bloom: April–June
Description: Perennial herb. Deeply bilobed petals, long corolla tubes. Flowers are in loose clusters above long, lance-like leaves.
Special: Native. BACK