Collinsia heterophylla facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Collinsia heterophylla
Scientific classification
Genus:	Collinsia
Species:	heterophylla
Synonyms
Collinsia bicolor Benth.

Collinsia heterophylla, often called purple Chinese houses or innocence, is a pretty flowering plant. It grows naturally in California and parts of northern Baja California.

About Purple Chinese Houses

This plant is an annual plant, meaning it lives for just one growing season. It usually grows in shady spots and can be anywhere from 10–50 centimetres (4–20 in) tall. You can find it in most parts of California, except for desert areas, usually below 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) in elevation.

It blooms from mid-spring to early summer. Like other plants in its group, called Collinsia, it gets its common name "Chinese houses" from its unique shape. The flowers grow in layers, getting smaller towards the top. This makes the plant look a bit like a pagoda, which is a type of tower often found in Asia.

The seeds of this plant are very tiny. Each one weighs about 1 milligram when it's dry.

Different Types

There are a couple of slightly different types, or varieties, of Collinsia heterophylla:

• Collinsia heterophylla var. austromontana
• Collinsia heterophylla var. heterophylla

Why the Name Changed

This plant was first named Collinsia bicolor in 1835. But it turned out that another plant had already been given that exact name back in 1824. To avoid confusion, the name had to be changed to C. heterophylla. Even so, you might still sometimes see it called C. bicolor in older books or articles.

Gallery

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  Collinsia heterophylla is also known by the common name Chinese Houses.

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  A pressed and dried Collinsia heterophylla plant in an herbarium.

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  Collinsia heterophylla blossoms on a stalk.