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Downingia elegans
Also called Californian Lobelia, California Lobelia, Common Downingia, Elegant Calico Flower
Downingia elegans is a species of flowering plants in the bellflower family known by the common names elegant calicoflower and Californian lobelia. This showy wildflower is native to western North America from California to British Columbia, where it is a resident of meadows and vernal pool ecosystems. This annual grows on a branching erect stem with many pointed leaves. At the top of each stem branch is one or more flowers, each one half to two centimeters wide. The tubular flower has two long, narrow, pointed upper lobes which are generally rich purple. The lower lip is fused into one three-lobed surface, which is purple with a large blotch of white in the center. The lobes may be quite pointed. There is sometimes some yellow coloration near the mouth of the tube.
Bach's calicoflower · Hoover's calicoflower · Doublehorn calicoflower · Maroonspot calicoflower · Toothed calicoflower · Harlequin calicoflower · Great Basin calicoflower · Sierra calicoflower · Folded calicoflower · Flatface calicoflower · Dwarf calicoflower · Cascade calicoflower
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Downingia elegans by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
