The colors below indicate the kind of documentation available for this species
in the California counties where it occurs.
Collomia Collomia heterophylla (Polemoniaceae)
California and the Western United States are the center of diversity for the phlox family (Polomoniaceae). This small, branched annual has stunning magenta flowers n a terminal cluster and pinnately lobed leaves. The five petals of the flowers are fused into a basal tube that is marked with white at the throat. The five anthers of each flower lie at different levels; two within the throat, two at the orifice, and one slightly exposed. The stigma is at the same level as the two lowermost anthers making automatic contact that results in self pollination.
DISTRIBUTION: Found in sandy or gravelly open areas below 1300 meters from Monterey County and the Sierra Nevada foothills north to the Klamath Range of California.
