About Erythranthe barbata (Greene) N.S.Fraga
Erythranthe barbata, formally Erythranthe barbata (Greene) N.S.Fraga, is a small annual wildflower that grows 2 to 15 centimeters tall. Its flowers grow singly, and the species has two distinct color morphs: one morph produces fully yellow flowers, while the bicolor morph has one lip in a dark maroon-purple shade. This species blooms from May through August. Erythranthe barbata is endemic to moderate-to-high elevations between 1800 and 3400 meters in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. Most of its populations are located in Tulare county, with additional populations found in Inyo and Kern counties. It grows on bare decomposed granite, at meadow edges, and in the understory of conifer forests, and it sometimes forms large mats made up entirely of this single species.
