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| Linanthus californicus |
| Family: Polemoniaceae (Phlox) |
| Flowers — color: magenta, size: 3/4", type: 5 petals |
Prickly Phlox has a showy flower with five magenta petals. OK, occasionally six or seven petals. The petals turn white as they enter the tubular throat. This throat hides yellowish pistils and stamens. The blooms are 3/8–1" diameter, but twist and close at night.
Single flowers or small clusters appear at end of each branch. The flowers bloom early in the season [February] and continue into the summer.
Habit:
Prickly Phlox is a perennial subshrub having a deep taproot. One or more vertical stem rise and spread from the base, branching occasionally. Its height ranges from 12–30" high. I've seen a specimen, supported by branches from a manzanita, reach six feet tall. Short spiny leaves, about 1/4" long, have two or more side lobes and form along green stems. Initially soft, the tips may brown and become prickly. As the leaves wither over the season the smaller lobes fall away, leaving sharp 1/4" spines. In dry spots only the last four inches of a branch will be green. They remind me of the test tube brushes I used in chem lab.
Prickly Phlox grow along shoulders of Santa Barbara highways and provide a welcome splash of color. This is the first Lompoc wildflower I learned. It barely survives in shade, preferring enjoys open sunny areas in the coastal scrub and openings in the chaparral and woodland.