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 Plant Max Licher @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) | | | | | |
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Origin:
Native
Life Cycle:
Annual
General Desc:
Erect flowering with seed pods that are flat, green, two-lobed capsules that resemble spectacles, hence the other common name.
Identification notes: Fruit cordate below (heart-shaped with the notch at the base), but with the base squared off or only slightly notched above.
Height:
2 to 3 feet
Habitat Description: Shaded areas in deserts and grasslands.
Plant Communities:
Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 1000 - 6000 feet
Color:
White
Shape:
Regular in elongated clusters
Tubular:
N
Flowering Period:
Feb - Oct
Description:
4 petals, to 1/2 inch long; dense raceme followed by a flat green, 1/2 inch wide double pod; 2 round lobes resembling spectacles. The white, 4-petaled flowers are borne in an elongated cluster at the top of the stem.
Leaf Color:
Grayish
Leaf Type:
Simple
Leaf Shape:
Pinnatifid
Leaf Margin:
Lobed
Leaf Attachment:
Alternate
Leaves Clasp:
N
Hairs:
Leaves and stems
Spines:
N
Leaf Description:
Up to 6 inches long, pinnately lobed, covered with fine hairs. Most leaves grow at the base; they are long and narrow, deeply divided into small lobes. Leaves higher up the stem are smaller and less divided.
Fruit Color: Green
Fruit Type: Pod
Fruit Notes: The fruit is a double-lobed, winged silicle that breaks in half at maturity, each lobe carrying a flat seed 1/8 inch wide.
Seed Notes: The seeds are flat and green.
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