About Pickeringia montana Nutt.
Pickeringia montana Nutt., commonly known as chaparral pea, rarely sprouts from seed. More often, it grows new stems from roots that spread outward from the parent plant, forming low, dense, thorny thickets lined with shiny dark green leaves. It produces bright magenta flowers in spring and summer, and bears pods that hold pealike seeds. There are two recognized subspecies of this plant: Pickeringia montana subsp. montana, which is widespread across California, and Pickeringia montana subsp. tomentosa, sometimes called woolly chaparral pea, which grows only in the hills of southern California.
