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Plectritis congesta

shortspur seablush

Caprifoliaceae

Pacific coast of western North America

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterMedium

Overview

Plectritis congesta is a slender spring annual in the valerian group of the honeysuckle family, growing 4-24 inches (10-60 cm) tall on a single erect, often branched stem. The opposite leaves are oval to spoon-shaped, mostly 0.5-1.5 inches (1-4 cm) long, stalkless and smooth, clasping the stem in pairs. Each stem is topped by a dense, rounded head of many small flowers, 0.5-1.5 inches (1-4 cm) across, ranging from deep rose-pink to pale pink or occasionally white. Individual flowers are about 0.1-0.2 inch (3-5 mm) long with a short basal spur, the feature behind the shortspur name. Flowering occurs in spring, and plants set winged or wingless seeds within a few weeks before drying and dying. As an annual it grows, flowers, and completes its life cycle in a single season, relying entirely on seed for the next generation. The species grows in moist spring meadows, grassy bluffs, oak woodlands, and the edges of vernal pools along the Pacific coast of western North America. It needs winter and spring moisture, then dies as soils dry in summer, leaving bare ground. Its brief, single-season display limits it to spring color in meadow and restoration plantings.

Native Range

Native to western North America along the Pacific coast, from British Columbia south through Washington and Oregon to California.

Suggested Uses

Used in native meadow seed mixes, restoration plantings, and spring wildflower displays in western gardens, sown rather than spaced individually. Its pink spring heads draw native bees and other early pollinators before summer dormancy sets in.

How to Identify

Identify it by a slender spring stem with paired, stalkless oval leaves and a dense rounded head of small pink flowers. The short spur at the base of each tiny flower and the single-season annual habit separate it from perennial pink-flowered meadow plants.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height4" - 2'

Width/Spread2" - 6"

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~4 weeks

Spring

Blooms from April through June, peaking in May, with the timing earlier in low coastal sites and later at higher elevations. Each rounded flower head stays in color for two to three weeks. Seeds ripen quickly as the plant dries in early summer.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

rose-pink to pale pink

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam clay rocky

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun to part shade on moist spring soils that dry out in summer, including loam, clay, and shallow soils over rock. It depends on winter and spring rainfall and does not need summer water, since it dies by seed time. Soil pH from 5.5 to 7.5 is suitable, and it grows on poor as well as fertile ground. As a frost-tolerant annual, it germinates in fall or winter and flowers the following spring. Seed sown in fall on bare, moist ground gives the most reliable stand. After flowering the plants brown and collapse, scattering seed for the next year.