Flower profile
Red bush monkeyflower
Diplacus puniceus
Red bush monkeyflower (Diplacus puniceus) is a shrub in the Phrymaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–April across the U.S.
Red bush monkeyflower is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In California it's most often seen in bloom in February–April.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: California
Quick look
Diplacus puniceus, commonly known as the red bush monkeyflower, San Diego monkey flower, or mission diplacus, is a species of perennial shrub native to coastal southern California and northwestern Baja California. It is characterized by a relatively small and broad corolla for Diplacus, a lack of glandular hairs, and dark orange or red flowers, adapted to hummingbird pollinators.
- It belongs to the Phrymaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 1 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to California. NatureServe
- In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–April. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 10,526 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #88 among the 178 flowers on our California list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In California, most flowering sightings come in February–April.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G3 Vulnerable worldwide. NatureServe
- California
- Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in California. CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records red bush monkeyflower in 1 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
California.
California counties with USDA records: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura.
Names, range and relatives
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Mimulus puniceus.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 6 counties across 1 states; the most are in California (6).
Other Diplacus on Bloomipedia (2): Orange bush monkeyflower, Dwarf purple monkeyflower.
More from the Phrymaceae family (5 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Allegheny monkeyflower, Seep monkeyflower, Lewis' monkeyflower.
More California flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile DIPU4.
- iNaturalist, Diplacus puniceus: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Diplacus puniceus (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- California: California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026).
- California: California noxious weed species (3 CCR § 4500).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Diplacus puniceus (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Dillon Alexander via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.