Flatface calicoflower facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Flatface calicoflower
Illustration by Sarah Drake
Scientific classification
Genus:	Downingia
Species:	pulchella

Downingia pulchella is a beautiful wild flower. It is often called the flatface calicoflower or valley calicoflower. This plant is part of the bellflower family. It grows only in California, USA. You can find it in wet places like vernal pools. It lives in the central part of California. This area stretches from the Tehachapi Mountains to the San Francisco Bay Area.

What Does the Flatface Calicoflower Look Like?

This plant grows an upright stem. The stem often has branches. Each branch usually has one tube-shaped flower at its top.

Flower Details

The flower has two main parts, called "lips."

• The upper lip has two thin, pointed parts. These usually stick straight out. They can be lavender or white.
• The lower lip is the same color. It has three parts that are joined together. Each of these parts might have a small tooth.

In the middle of the lower lip, there is a large white area. This white area has two bright yellow spots. It also has smaller dark purple spots near the opening of the flower's tube.

A large anther sticks out from the flower's opening. An anther is the part of a flower that holds pollen. This anther is on a stalk made of joined stamens. The flower itself is about one to two centimeters wide.

Fruit of the Plant

After the flower blooms, it forms a fruit. This fruit is a capsule. It is three to seven centimeters long.

See Also

In Spanish: Downingia pulchella para niños