Linanthus orcuttii
Encyclopedia
Linanthus orcuttii is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the phlox family
known by the common name Orcutt's linanthus. It is known only from southern California
and Baja California
, where it grows in chaparral
and pine forests in the Peninsular Ranges
and occasionally the San Bernardino Mountains
.
is a small cluster of funnel-shaped flowers with thin, tubular throats opening into corollas barely over a centimeter wide. The flower may be white or shades of blue-purple to pink, with yellow and white throats streaked with tiny purple lines.
Polemoniaceae
Polemoniaceae are a family of about 25 genera with 270-400 species of annual and perennial plants, native to the Northern Hemisphere and South America, with the center of diversity in western North America, especially in California.Only one genus is found in Europe, and two in Asia, where they...
known by the common name Orcutt's linanthus. It is known only from southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, where it grows in chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
and pine forests in the Peninsular Ranges
Peninsular Ranges
The Peninsular Ranges are a group of mountain ranges, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, which stretch from southern California in the United States to the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges that run along the Pacific coast from Alaska...
and occasionally the San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...
.
Description
Linanthus orcuttii is is a petite annual herb producing short, hairy stems no more than about 10 centimeters tall. The leaves are divided into hairy, needlelike lobes several millimeters long. The inflorescenceInflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a small cluster of funnel-shaped flowers with thin, tubular throats opening into corollas barely over a centimeter wide. The flower may be white or shades of blue-purple to pink, with yellow and white throats streaked with tiny purple lines.