flaming trumpet

Collomia rawsoniana Greene

Collomia rawsoniana, described by Greene in 1888, is a perennial flowering plant in the Polemoniaceae family, commonly known as flaming trumpet. It is endemic to California, specifically found in the Sierra Nevada foothills within Mariposa and Madera counties. This species grows in woodland understory habitats and features a slender, upright stem reaching up to 50 cm in height. The plant bears deeply toothed, hairy leaves spaced along the stem and produces an inflorescence of 3 to 7 red-orange trumpet-shaped flowers, each up to 4 cm long, with a prominent pistil and stamens bearing blue pollen.

Description

Collomia rawsoniana is a rare wildflower native to California, found only in Mariposa and Madera counties. It thrives in the understory of woodlands in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The plant has a slender, upright stem with widely spaced, deeply toothed, and hairy leaves. The inflorescence at the top of the stem contains 3 to 7 red-orange, trumpet-shaped flowers, each up to 4 cm in length. The flowers have a prominent central pistil and stamens with blue pollen. This species is part of the Polemoniaceae family and was first described by Greene in 1888.