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 Flower Hwy 169 DrainageSue Smith |  Flower Hwy 169 DrainageSue Smith |  Leaves Hwy 169 DrainageSue Smith |  Leaves Hwy 169 DrainageSue Smith |  Plant - spring Hwy 169 DrainageSue Smith | |
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Origin:
Native
Life Cycle:
Annual Similar Species: Triodanis leptocarpa
General Desc:
Erect annual often unbranched or with a few long branches. Slender stems and oval to heart-shaped leaves have soft to bristly hairs. 1 to 3 stemless, purple, funnel-shaped flowers grow between the leaf and stem (leaf axils) all along the plant stalk.
Identification notes: Slender stemmed annuals; stems erect; leaves all along the stems, diminish in size upward becoming bract-like, oval to somewhat heart-shaped, clasp stem at base; purple to bluish-purple flowers single or in clusters of 2 or 3 in leaf axils, not stemmed.
Height:
About 1-1/2 feet
Habitat Description: Found in dry, sandy, gravelly soil in open woodland clearings, grassy slopes, on hillsides, under shrubs, in the shade of rocks as well as along railroad tracks, uncultivated fields and along roadsides.
Plant Communities:
Interior Chaparral, Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Montane Conifer Forest, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 5100 - 8500 feet
Color:
Purple to bluish-purple
Shape:
Regular in clusters
Tubular:
Y
Flowering Period:
Jun - Jul
Description:
Flowers single or in clusters of 2 or 3 in leaf axils; 2 kinds of flowers, lower, smaller ones don't open, upper, larger ones showy, 1/2 inch wide, 5 oval petals fused at the base. Below each bloom are 5 (often) leaf-like sepals shorter than the petals.
Leaf Color:
Light green
Leaf Type:
Simple
Leaf Shape:
Round or oval
Leaf Margin:
Toothed
Leaf Attachment:
Alternate and opposite
Leaves Clasp:
Y
Hairs:
Leaves and stems
Spines:
N
Leaf Description:
Leaves are up to 1 inch long, egg to heart-shaped, stalkless and usually clasping the stem at the base. Leaves often have stiff hairs but the upper leaves may be hairless. Leaves are mostly alternate but a pair of opposite leaves appears at the stem top.
Fruit Color: Reddish-brown
Fruit Type: Capsule
Fruit Notes: Oblong-oval fruit has 2 or 3 sections, is 3/8 inch long with 5 (often) leaf-like sepals spreading out at its tip. As the fruit ripens, a hole (pore) develops in the middle of each section enabling the mature capsule to split open and release the seeds.
Seed Notes: Seeds are numerous, brown to reddish-brown, plump, tiny, less than 1/16 inch long, oval to lens-shaped and shiny with a smooth or bumpy surface.
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