Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Downingia bicornuta is a species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name doublehorn calicoflower. This showy wildflower is native to the western United States from California to Idaho, where it is a resident of lakesides and vernal pool ecosystems. This annual grows on a branching erect stem with small leaves at intervals. At the top of each stem branch is one or more flowers, each between one and two centimeters wide. The flower has two long, narrow, pointed upper lobes which may be blue or purple. The three lower lobes are fused into one three-lobed surface, which is blue or purple with two bright yellow blotches rimmed with white in the center. The mouth of the flower tube is surrounded by knobby projections of the sepals. The fruit is a dehiscent capsule three to seven centimeters long.

Plant type

Annual herb

Size

10 in Tall

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Fast

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Color

Purple

Flowering season

Spring

Soil description

Prefers loamy or clay soils. Grows poorly in sandy soils.

Plant communities

Foothill Woodland, Valley Grassland, Wetland-Riparian, Yellow Pine Forest