Wildflowers Blooming in California in December (60 Species)

60 wildflowers were recorded blooming in California in December in our iNaturalist sample; 3 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top wildflowers in December

California fuchsia570 obs.

Emory's rockdaisy460 obs.

Desert Sunflower433 obs.

Coyote Brush431 obs.

Bladderpod423 obs.

Thickleaf Groundcherry392 obs.

Desert Lavender288 obs.

Desert Sand Verbena279 obs.

Redstem Stork's-bill262 obs.

Big Berry Manzanita261 obs.

California Buckwheat254 obs.

Spanish needle248 obs.

All wildflowers blooming in California in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	California fuchsia	Epilobium canum	evening primrose family	570	Oct (past peak)
2	Emory's rockdaisy	Perityle emoryi	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	460	Mar (past peak)
3	Desert Sunflower	Geraea canescens	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	433	Mar (past peak)
4	Coyote Brush	Baccharis pilularis	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	431	Oct (past peak)
5	Bladderpod	Cleomella arborea	Spider Flower Family	423	Feb (past peak)
6	Thickleaf Groundcherry	Physalis crassifolia	nightshade family	392	Mar (past peak)
7	Desert Lavender	Condea emoryi	Mint Family	288	Mar (past peak)
8	Desert Sand Verbena	Abronia villosa	four o'clock family	279	Mar (past peak)
9	Redstem Stork's-bill	Erodium cicutarium	Geranium family	262	Mar (past peak)
10	Big Berry Manzanita	Arctostaphylos glauca	heath family	261	Jan (past peak)
11	California Buckwheat	Eriogonum fasciculatum	knotweed family	254	Jun (past peak)
12	Spanish needle	Palafoxia arida	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	248	Mar (past peak)
13	Chuparosa	Justicia californica	Acanthus Family	236	Mar (past peak)
14	Creosote Bush	Larrea tridentata	caltrops	209	Mar (past peak)
15	Western Joshua Tree	Yucca brevifolia	agave and allies	205	Mar (past peak)
16	Sweetbush	Bebbia juncea	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	200	Dec (peak)
17	Notch-leaf Scorpionweed	Phacelia crenulata	borage family	198	Mar (past peak)
18	Rush Milkweed	Asclepias subulata	Dogbane Family	187	Dec (peak)
19	Tree Tobacco	Nicotiana glauca	nightshade family	186	Apr (past peak)
20	Parish's Goldeneye	Bahiopsis parishii	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	179	Mar (past peak)
21	Browneyes	Chylismia claviformis	evening primrose family	175	Mar (past peak)
22	Brittlebush	Encelia farinosa	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	173	Mar (past peak)
23	Lawn daisy	Bellis perennis	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	172	Apr (past peak)
24	Telegraphweed	Heterotheca grandiflora	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	165	Sep (past peak)
25	Milkmaids	Cardamine californica	mustard family	157	Feb (past peak)
26	Bermuda buttercup	Oxalis pes-caprae	Woodsorrel Family	157	Mar (past peak)
27	Distant Phacelia	Phacelia distans	borage family	156	Mar (past peak)
28	Narrow-Leaved Cryptantha	Johnstonella angustifolia	borage family	154	Mar (past peak)
29	Desert Thorn-Apple	Datura discolor	nightshade family	148	Nov (past peak)
30	California brittlebush	Encelia californica	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	141	Apr (past peak)
31	Desert Tobacco	Nicotiana obtusifolia	nightshade family	140	Mar (past peak)
32	Indigo-Bush	Psorodendron schottii	Legumes	136	Apr (past peak)
33	Desert Trumpet	Eriogonum inflatum	knotweed family	133	Dec (peak)
34	California Aster	Corethrogyne filaginifolia	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	113	Aug (past peak)
35	Sacred Datura	Datura wrightii	nightshade family	107	May (past peak)
36	Trailing Windmills	Allionia incarnata	four o'clock family	105	Oct (past peak)
37	Arizona lupine	Lupinus arizonicus	Legumes	102	Mar (past peak)
38	Rock Hibiscus	Hibiscus denudatus	Mallow and Hibiscus Family	99	Mar (past peak)
39	Sand Blazingstar	Mentzelia involucrata	Stickleaf Family	95	Mar (past peak)
40	Chinchweed	Pectis papposa	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	92	Oct (past peak)
41	California bay	Umbellularia californica	laurels	83	Feb (past peak)
42	California shieldpod	Dithyrea californica	mustard family	79	Mar (past peak)
43	Deerweed	Acmispon glaber	Legumes	74	May (past peak)
44	California primrose	Eulobus californicus	evening primrose family	74	Mar (past peak)
45	California fagonbush	Fagonia laevis	caltrops	70	Mar (past peak)
46	Desert Plantain	Plantago ovata	Plantain Family	69	Mar (past peak)
47	Desert Bluebells	Phacelia campanularia	borage family	68	Mar (past peak)
48	White Rhatany	Krameria bicolor	rhatany family	68	Nov (past peak)
49	Apricot Globemallow	Sphaeralcea ambigua	Mallow and Hibiscus Family	66	Apr (past peak)
50	California poppy	Eschscholzia californica	Poppy Family	65	Apr (past peak)