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purple Chinese houses
Scientific Name: Collinsia heterophylla var. heterophylla
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth: Forb/herb
Duration: Annual
Other Names:
Collinsia heterophylla
Also known as Purple Chinese Houses or Innocence, Collinsia heterophylla is a charming flowering plant admired for its unique tiered blooms.
Common Names
- Purple Chinese Houses
- Innocence
- Chinese Houses
- Harlequin blue-eyed Mary
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Collinsia heterophylla Buist ex Graham
- Synonym: Collinsia bicolor
- Family: Scrophulariaceae (mentioned in context of a hillside location.)
- Taxonomic Rank: Species
Distribution and Habitat
- Native to California and Baja California (Peninsular Ranges in northern Baja California).
- Often found on damp, disturbed north slopes, such as old road cuts.
- Prefers sheltered rocky, forested hillsides with morning light.
Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits
- Annual plant (lives only one year).
- Grows to a height of 1 to 2 feet.
- Flowers grow in whorls of 2-7, each whorl smaller than the one below, creating a pagoda-like appearance.
- Flowers have a lilac or white upper lip and a rose-purple or violet lower lip.
- Blooms in Spring and early Summer.
- Flowers are intensely purple and white.
Interactions with Other Organisms
- The flowers are attractive to native bees, setting better seed due to their pollination.
- A good choice for a wildlife or butterfly garden.
Quirky Facts
- The tiered arrangement of the flowers resembles miniature Chinese pagodas, giving the plant its common name.