Downingia is a member of the bellflower family. Each flower has five corolla lobes or petals. The two upper petals are smaller than the three lower ones. The flowers are mainly blue with a little white, yellow, and black.
Two-horned Downingia (top photo-Downingia bicornuta) has a pair of purple bumps near the center of the flower and the trigger hairs are long and twisted. Toothed Downingia (middle photo-Downingia cuspidata) has no dark spots and fang-like trigger hairs. Folded Downingia (bottom photo-Downingia ornatissima) has folded-back upper petals with a small horn between them.
Scientific name: Downingia bicornuta, Downingia cuspidata, Downingia ornatissima
Family: Campanulaceae (bellflower)
Habitat: Vernal pools
Size: Plants are 3 to 10 inches tall; each flower is 7 to 18 mm; Downingia Bicornuta usually has larger flowers than the other two species found at Mather Field.
Fun Facts:
Downingia are pollinated by native solitary bees. The bees collect pollen to feed their offspring.
Life Cycle:
Downingia are annual plants, so they die off every year. They germinate under water. When the pools dry in May, they bloom.
Ecology:
Downingia are endemic to vernal pools. In some pools, their synchronous mass bloom can look like a blue sky reflected off water. Each vernal pool will usually only contain one or two species of Downingia.
Downingia must cross-pollinate to produce seeds. To prevent accidental self-pollination, the flower matures in stages: it goes from being a male flower to being a female flower. When the flower is male, the solitary bee rubs against the trigger hairs to release pollen. When the solitary bee visits a female flower, the pollen is rubbed off onto the stigma to pollinate the flower.
Investigate:
Can you find examples of flowers in the male stage and the female stage? Clue: the female flowers have no trigger hairs and the stigma tip looks like a small round pillow.
