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 Leaves Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) |  Plant Max Licher @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) | | | | |
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Origin:
Native
Life Cycle:
Biennial or annual Similar Species: Linaria vulgaris, L. dalmatica
General Desc:
Slender, erect plant with 1 to several branches tufted from the base; stems and leaves without hairs, dark green; flowers about 1/2 inch wide by 1 inch deep with spur.
Identification notes: An erect annual or biennial with dense dark green basal leaves compared to stem leaves; leaves and stems without hairs; spike-like clusters of purple, blue or white, 2-lipped flowers with long nectar spurs coming out the backsides.
Height:
Up to 32 inches
Habitat Description: Found on arroyos, stream banks, grassy hillsides or in open chaparral in sand or gravel.
Plant Communities:
Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Riparian
Elevation: 1500 - 5000 feet
Color:
Purple, blue or white
Shape:
Irregular in elongated clusters
Tubular:
Y
Flowering Period:
Mar - Jun
Description:
On slender, 2 to 12-inch unbranched spikes, flowers mature from bottom up. Spikes on 2 to 6 inch stems branch out from base, each with 2-lobed upper lip, 3-lobed lower lip with a long, slender, rear-projecting, down-curved spur behind the flower.
Leaf Color:
Dark green
Leaf Type:
Simple
Leaf Shape:
Narrow
Leaf Margin:
Smooth
Leaf Attachment:
Basal,alternate and opposite
Leaves Clasp:
N
Hairs:
No
Spines:
N
Leaf Description:
Dense, hairless, dark green basal leaves, may be whorled; flower stems have blade-like leaves that branch out from the base of the plant.
Fruit Color: Light brown
Fruit Type: Capsule
Fruit Notes: Capsule is thin-walled, spherical to almost cylindrical 1/16 to 1/4 inch long, irregularly opens to disperse many seeds when ripe.
Seed Notes: Brown seeds are prism-like with 4 to 7 rounded angles and are slightly bumpy.
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