About Erythranthe carsonensis N.S.Fraga
Erythranthe carsonensis N.S.Fraga is an annual plant species, growing 2 to 10 cm tall and producing 1 to 20 yellow flowers. Each flower is typically 0.5 to 1 inch wide, yellow in color, with yellow hairs and tiny red dots on the flower palate, and a large red dot on the lower limb. In small individuals of this species, the flower is often larger than the leaves and stem. Sereno Watson first described this species as "A pretty dwarf flower of earliest spring, forming bright patches of color among the sage-brush in the lower valleys, the delicate inch-long stem seeming scarce able to sustain the absurdly disproportionate flowers that terminate it. Carson Valley, Nevada; April." This species is native to Nevada and California. Its native range is restricted to three valleys: Carson, Eagle, and Washoe Valleys, and the surrounding foothills. It prefers to grow in dry, sandy soils within sagebrush and bitterbrush plant communities.
