Downingia elegans is a species of flowering plants in the bellflower family known by the common names elegant calicoflower and Californian lobelia.[5] This showy wildflower is native to western North America from California to British Columbia, where it is a resident of meadows and vernal pool ecosystems. This annual grows on a branching erect stem with many pointed leaves. At the top of each stem branch is one or more flowers, each one half to two centimeters wide.