Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla)

Purple Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla) is a low annual (12 to 18 inches high) that flowers March through June. The flowers are gentle tones of lilac, lavender, purple or blue, usually with a white upper lip and arranged in towers of flower clusters that are thought to resemble a pagoda. They are impressive when massed and fit well with ferns and other wildflowers in chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, or Oak Woodland landscaping. Seed can be sown in fall in an area cleared of weeds. The plant will typically reseed itself each year. It is adaptable to different types of soil but needs a moist place in part shade, part sun. In gardens it needs water weekly. Hosting caterpillars of butterflies and moths, Purple Chinese Houses will also attract bees and benefit birds. From Calscape.

Grower: Larner Seed, Heritage Growers

Other Names Used: 

Family: Plantaginaceae

Life Cycle: Annual

Plant Type: Herb

Sun Exposure: Full, Partial

Bloom Period: Winter, Spring (February to April)

Bloom Color(s):  Blue, Lavender, Purple

Plant Height: 4-19 inches tall

Plant Width: 4 inches wide

California Regions:

• San Francisco Bay Area
• North Coast
• Central Valley
• Sierra Foothills
• Sierra Nevada
• Central California Coast
• Southern Coast
• Southern California Inland
  

Ecological Benefits:

• Drought Tolerant
  
• Attracts pollinators, birds, wildlife
  

Ecological Functions:

• Grows in Containers
• Groundcover

Habitat Type:

• Chaparral
  
• Valley Grassland
• Foothill Woodland 
  
• Yellow Pine Forest

Human Uses/Cautions: 

Skill Level: Beginner

Seed Pretreatment: None