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Collinsia tinctora Sticky Chinese houses is also known as tincture plant because its foliage stains the fingers dark purple. Often, in fact, the leaves will bear white or purple spots as an identifying trait when the plants are not yet in bloom. In flower, the tiers of flowers, arranged in a spikelike manner, resemble the arrangement of Chinese houses flowers. But up close, the flower details are entirely different, for tincture plant has very short upper petals, often beautifully lined with dark purple, while the lower lip is liberally sprinkled with tiny purple dots. Uncommon in the Bay Area, tincture plant is often seen in late spring near the top of Mt. Diablo. |