Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Linanthus californicus (Prickly Phlox) is a native sub-shrub in the Polemoniaceae (Phlox) family that grows along the coast and in the Coast Ranges, Transverse Range and Peninsular Range from San Luis Obispo County to Orange and Riverside Counties. It tends to grow at elevations from sea level to 6,500 feet. The leaves are palmate and sufficiently prickly to be painful. The pink or lavender flowers are small but showy and can appear 6 months of the year.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

1 - 3 ft Tall
1 ft Wide

Dormancy

Evergreen

Calscape icon
Color

Pink, White, Lavender

Flowering season

Winter, Spring, Summer

Special uses

Containers

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Water

Low

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil description

Typically rocky soil, decomposed granite or sandstone.
Soil PH: 5.9 - 8.0

Sunset Zones

5, 7, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Site type

Coastal strand, scrub areas, meadows and forest

Plant communities

Chaparral, Coastal Strand, Southern Oak Woodland

Use with California Copperleaf (Acalypha californica), Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), San Diego Viguiera (Bahiopsis laciniata), Ceanothus spp., Goldenbush (Ericameria spp.), Buckwheat (Eriogonum spp.), Chaparral Yucca (Hesperoyucca whipplei), Pitcher Sage (Lepechinia calycina or fragrans), Lupine (Lupinus spp.), Bush Monkeyflower (Diplacus aurantiacus), Currant/Gooseberry (Ribes spp.), Sage (Salvia spp.), and Woolly Bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum or parishii)

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 2 likely

Confirmed Likely

Buckwheat Borer Moth

Synanthedon polygoni