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Chinese-houses, purple Chinese houses

Chinese houses, innocence, purple Chinese-houses

Habit Annuals 10–50 cm.
Stems

erect to ascending.

Leaf

blades: abaxial surface glabrous, midvein rarely hairy.

blades lanceolate-deltate, margins serrate.

Inflorescences

glabrous or hairy, ± glandular;

whorls 2–7 on main axis;

nodes 2–7-flowered;

flowers crowded;

distalmost bracts linear to lanceolate, 5–6 mm.

Pedicels

ascending to spreading, shorter than calyx, not or scarcely visible.

Flowers

corolla (13–)15–20 mm, banner length 0.8–0.9 times wings, reflexed portion 4+ times basal portion.

calyx lobes linear to ovate, equal to capsule, apex subacute to acute;

corolla red-purple, rarely white, banner white to lavender or tipped dark violet, maroon spots near center and forming horizontal lines near base, wings whitish to rose purple, keel usually with darker red tip, 10–20 mm, usually glabrous;

tube hairy inside, as wide as long, saccate basally, adaxial pouch prominent and ± square;

banner length 0.6–0.9 times wings, lobe base without folds;

stamens: abaxial filaments glabrous, adaxials hairy, basal spur 1.

Seeds

6–12, ovate, 1.5–2 mm, margins slightly thickened, inrolled.

2n

= 14.

Collinsia heterophylla var. heterophylla

Collinsia heterophylla

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat Chaparral, open mixed woodlands, oak woodlands.
Elevation 0–1300 m. (0–4300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Variety heterophylla is frequently grown in gardens and appears to be capable of escaping. Reports of Collinsia heterophylla from the eastern United States may be from such escapes as waifs.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Collinsia heterophylla is the most widespread and frequently encountered species in California. There is structure in phylogenetic analysis of northern and southern populations (that is, paraphyly of southern populations) suggesting northward expansion and evidence for introgression with C. tinctoria (B. G. Baldwin et al. 2011) in the southern Sierra Nevada (Kern County and possibly Fresno County). This species is often confused with other collinsias that have tiered whorls of flowers, most frequently with C. bartsiifolia and C. concolor, which both lack the bold horizontal line present at the base of the adaxial corolla lip of C. heterophylla. Plants with reduced corolla pigmentation, nearly white, are uncommon outside of the South Coast Ranges and are often misidentified as C. bartsiifolia.

Collinsia bicolor Bentham, which pertains here, is a later homonym of C. bicolor Rafinesque, a synonym of 1. C. verna.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Corollas (13–)15–20 mm; leaf blade abaxial surfaces glabrous, midveins rarely hairy; banner lengths 0.8–0.9 times wings, reflexed portions 4+ times basal portions.
var. heterophylla
1. Corollas 10–15(–18) mm; leaf blade abaxial surfaces sparsely hairy; banner lengths 0.6–0.8 times wings, reflexed portions 2–3 times basal portions.
var. austromontana
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 74. FNA vol. 17, p. 73.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Collinsia > Collinsia heterophylla Plantaginaceae > Collinsia
Sibling taxa
C. heterophylla var. austromontana
C. antonina, C. bartsiifolia, C. callosa, C. childii, C. concolor, C. corymbosa, C. grandiflora, C. greenei, C. latifolia, C. linearis, C. multicolor, C. parryi, C. parviflora, C. rattanii, C. sparsiflora, C. tinctoria, C. torreyi, C. verna, C. violacea, C. wrightii
Subordinate taxa
C. heterophylla var. austromontana, C. heterophylla var. heterophylla
Name authority unknown Graham: Bot. Mag. 65: plate 3695. (1838)
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