Common names:
Fiesta flower, blue fiesta flower
Family:
Scientific name:
Pholistoma auritum
Main flower color:
Range:
Central/south California, far south Nevada and west Arizona
Height:
Up to 6 inches
Habitat:
Varied; mountain slopes, streambanks, woodland, coastal bluffs, desert scrubland; to 6,000 feet
Leaves:
Oblong, narrow, up to 6 inches in length, deeply lobed (5 to 13 lobes per leaf), with a pointed tip; on winged stalks
Season:
March to May
Stems of pholistoma auritum are thick, square in cross-section, have a light covering of short, stiff hairs and branch readily, forming tangled clumps together with the long, divided leaves. Leaves and buds are also bristly. The flowers are formed of five lobes, mostly or completely fused; bell shaped initially but opening out to become almost planar. The lobes are purple or bluish, lighter at the base, while the center is deeper purple, ringed by a thin yellow band, and containing the purple stamens. Flowers may grow singly or in clusters of 2 to 6.
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