[Calicoflowers and Downingia of the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Common Downingia, Elegant Calicoflower, Elegant Downingia, Showy Downingia

Downingia elegans

Synonyms: Downingia elegans var. brachypetala, Downingia elegans var. corymbosa, Downingia elegans var. elegans

A mass of showy downingia photographed at a large vernal pool along the Dalles Mt. Road in the Columbia River Gorge..........June 26, 2009.

Sideview of the flower of Common Downingia, Elegant Calicoflower, Elegant Downingia, Showy Downingia: Downingia elegans (Synonyms: Downingia elegans var. brachypetala, Downingia elegans var. corymbosa, Downingia elegans var. elegans)

Note the strongly two-lipped flower in the photo at right, along with the strongly curved anther tube. Photographed west of the Tom McCall Nature Preserve.......mid June, 2002.

Characteristics:

Showy Downingia is a very attractive annual with several erect or ascending, simple or branched stems arising from 10-50 cm high. The herbage of typical plants is generally smooth, lacking hairs except around the hypanthium. The leaves are all sessile. The lower leaves are narrow and often deciduous by flowering time. The upper leaves range from 0.5- 2.5 cm long and up to 9 mm wide and are lanceolate to lance-ovate in shape.

The flowers are showy, with blue, pink or white ringing a white or yellowish central region. The corollas are 8-18 mm long and strongly two-lipped (See photos.) The calyx lobes are linear or narrowly elliptic in shape and range from 4-10 mm long. The anther tube is exserted from the tube and is fairly strongly incurved, the tip standing at a right angle to the filament tube (See photo at right.).

Habitat:

Showy Downingia may be found in vernal pools (usually as they are drying out), wet meadows, and edges of ponds and streams.

Range:

Showy Downingia may be found from central and eastern Washington, Oregon, northern California, northern Idaho, and northern Nevada.

In the Columbia River Gorge it may be found between the elevations of 500'-2300' between Bingen, WA and The Dalles, OR.

The photo at left shows showy downingia growing in a vernally moist pool (now dry) at the Sondino Unit, Klickitat State Wildlife Area........June 6, 2012. The photo at right shows showy downingia growing in a moist swale at private meadows at Panakanic, western Klickitat County........June 17, 2015.

Flower of Common Downingia, Elegant Calicoflower, Elegant Downingia, Showy Downingia: Downingia elegans (Synonyms: Downingia elegans var. brachypetala, Downingia elegans var. corymbosa, Downingia elegans var. elegans) -

Note the long flower stems of showy downingia in the photo above.

Paul Slichter