Origin:
Native
Life Cycle:
Biennial or annual
General Desc:
Solitary or clustered stems arise from a taproot and are 6 to 32 inches tall. Leaves are coarsely serrate and flowers are crowded in a dense terminal or axillary cluster at the tip of the stems. This plant can also be a short-lived perennial. Identification notes: Tall, upright leafy stemmed typically biennial or annual; leaf blades somewhat elliptic, serrate; leaf stems hairy; flower head dense and spike-like; small purplish-pink flowers that are strongly 2-lipped, upper lip entire or notched, lower lip 3-lobed.
Height:
8 to 30 inches Habitat
Color:
Purplish-pink
Shape:
Irregular in elongated clusters
Tubular:
Y
Flowering Period:
Jun - Aug Description:
The tiny flowers are 5-parted, under 1/2 inch long and irregularly tube-shaped. The dense, conical, spike-like cluster is 1 to 5 inches tall at the top of the stem.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaf Color:
Green
Leaf Type:
Simple
Leaf Shape:
Narrow
Leaf Margin:
Toothed
Leaf Attachment:
Opposite
Leaves Clasp:
N Hairs:
Leaves and stems
Spines:
N
Leaf Description:
Light green, coarsly toothed leaves stand stiffly out in an open, airy pattern from an erect, thick, square stem. Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit Type: Nutlet Fruit Notes: The fruits are 1-seeded nutlets.
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590