Carried by 21 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Bush Monkey Flower (Diplacus puniceus) is a small shrub native to the coast areas of Southern California. It grows to about 2 feet high, has dark green leaves, and bright red trumpet-shaped flowers that can last for most of the year. However, the blooming period depends greatly on the rainfall pattern. It is an important food source for hummingbirds. It prefers full sun by the coast and part shade inland.
In most cases, this plant needs to go semi-deciduous in the summer. Direct watering in late summer or early fall with often kill this plant. Best to let it go dormant for the hottest months of the year, and then watch it come back with the rains. Healthy plants will readily reseed.
Shrub
1 - 2 ft Tall
2 - 3 ft Wide
Mounding
Fast
Summer Semi-deciduous
Slight
Red, Orange
Summer, Spring, Winter
Containers, Deer resistant
Full Sun, Partial Shade
Very Low
Max 1x / month once established
Moderate
Tolerates cold to 15° F
Medium
Dry, well draining soil.
Soil PH: 6 - 8
Tolerates light pruning during it's deciduous season. Stick to twigs and shoots, but avoid cutting into woody tissue which will often kill this plant..
Mixed chaparral and sagebrush scrub, dry rocky slopes, flats
Chaparral, Coastal Scrub
California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), Black Sage (Salvia mellifera), California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), California Encelia (Encelia californica), Wild Hyacinth (Dichelostemma capitatum), chamise (Adenostoma spp.), Penstemon spp., Yucca spp., various cactus species, various annual wildflowers
Butterflies and moths supported
0 confirmed and 7 likely
Orange Tortrix Moth
Argyrotaenia franciscana
Variable Checkerspot
Euphydryas chalcedona
Edith's Checkerspot
Euphydryas editha