Scouler’s Popcorn Flower Seeds (Plagiobothrys scouleri)

One of the smallest plants we offer, this is also a unique annual ground cover for sunny, but seasonally wet places.

Like fragrant popcorn flower (Plagiobothrys figuratus), Scouler’s popcorn flower is a vernal pool specialist – it germinates in and around seasonally flooded low spots and ponds, emerging every year from bare, muddy ground as a low, almost succulent plant.

While the stems are often mere inches long, and the tubular flowers are tiny (1-2 mm!), this and other popcorn flowers are still plants with numerous interesting wild bee associates, including: the striped mining bee (Andrena angustitarsata), the golden-haired mining bee (Andrena auricoma), Alice’s mining bee (Andrena mackieae), the clover mining bee (Andrena plana), the lonely mining bee (Andrena sola), and various other mining bee species, such as Andrena escondida, Andrena pensilis, Andrena atypica, Andrena dissimulans, Andrena chapmanae, Andrena pensilis, and Perdita nitens; as well as various mason and carder bees including the Utah wool-carder bee (Anthidium utahense), Chelostoma californicum and Protosmia rubifloris, and the short-faced sweat bee (Dufourea mulleri).

This is an under-explored plant for rain gardens and bioswales, with the potential to form lush seasonal carpets of tiny springtime flowers.

Ready for planting small masses with 1500-2500 (very tiny!) seeds per packet (0.3 grams).