Chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla) along the Secret Trail in Calabasas, California. From a trail run on March 30.
Was originally identified as Davidson’s Blue-Eyed Mary (Collinsia bartsiifolia var. davidsonii). Took a closer look at flowers in the same colony this year, including the internal structure of the flower. The presence of a curved basal spur > 1 mm on the two upper (stamen) filaments; corolla throat as wide as long; and calyx lobes generally sharp-tipped (per key in Jepson) distinguishes the species as the more common Collinsia heterophylla.
This time of year if you’re running in Southern California’s canyons and notice a subtle, pleasantly pungent, and slightly sweet fragrance wafting about the area, look around, poison oak is probably near.
The small, greenish, five-petaled blossoms generally hide under the “leaves of three” and are easy to miss.
California peony is fairly common in the Santa Monica Mountains and other lower elevation, open space areas of Southern California. It can be found in a variety of habitats, including Coastal Sage Scrub and Chaparral.
It is a perennial, and has adapted to our demanding climate by dieing back when conditions become hot and dry. Its leaf growth tends to parallel that of annual grasses, and as these grasses become long, lush and green following early Winter rains, you’ll usually find flowering peonies somewhere in the area.
