Flatface calicoflower
Downingia pulchella
Last reviewed: September 2026
Flatface calicoflower (Downingia pulchella) is a annual forb native to CA. It blooms in April and May. The flowers draw bees.
Toxicity unknown
Flatface calicoflower (Downingia pulchella) is not listed by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (opens in new tab) or the other sources we check, so we have no verdict for it either way. Absence from those lists is not a clearance. If your pet shows symptoms after eating any plant, call the ASPCA at (888) 426-4435.
Light
full sun
Water
high
Size
2"–8" H × 4"–8" W
Bloom
Apr, May
Native to
CA
Pollinators
bees
Before you buy
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A tiny annual wildflower with small blue and white bicolored flowers held low over the ground. Grows in the drying mud rings of seasonal vernal pools, completing its life cycle in a few weeks each spring.
Growing Flatface calicoflower
Grow Flatface calicoflower in full sun and high water. Mature plants reach 2 to 8 inches tall and spread 4 to 8 inches wide.
Wildlife value
Provides an early spring nectar source for small native bees specialized on vernal pool habitat, which is increasingly rare.
Common questions
- How much sun does Flatface calicoflower need?
- Flatface calicoflower grows best in full sun conditions.
- When does Flatface calicoflower bloom?
- Flatface calicoflower blooms in April and May.
- Where is Flatface calicoflower native?
- Flatface calicoflower (Downingia pulchella) is native to CA, per vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists.
- What pollinators does Flatface calicoflower attract?
- Flatface calicoflower draws bees.
Native range data from vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists. Pollinator and host plant associations compiled from GBIF, iNaturalist, and published ecological literature.
If something looks wrong
Common plant problems, and what to check first
These come up on almost any plant. Each guide lists the likely causes in the order they are worth ruling out, with one thing to check before you act on any of them, and links to the source it came from.
- It is dying right after planting
- Leaves turning yellow
- Wilting even though I watered it
- Brown crispy leaf tips
- Bugs on the plant
Ready to grow Flatface calicoflower? Add it to your garden in Pollinator Patch to track it and get season-by-season care guidance.