Collinsia heterophylla
Collinsia verna
Chinese houses, innocence, purple Chinese-houses
spring blue eyed Mary
erect to ascending.
erect to ascending.
blades lanceolate-deltate, margins serrate.
blades ovate to elliptic or lanceolate, base cuneate to subcordate, margins shallowly and coarsely serrate.
glabrous or hairy, ± glandular;
whorls 2–7 on main axis;
nodes 2–7-flowered;
flowers crowded;
distalmost bracts linear to lanceolate, 5–6 mm.
± glandular, scaly-hairy;
nodes 1–6(–8)-flowered;
flowers not crowded proximally, often crowded distally;
distalmost bracts linear, 5–6(+) mm.
ascending to spreading, shorter than calyx, not or scarcely visible.
ascending to reflexed, usually longer than calyx, visible, glandular abaxially, glabrate adaxially.
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.
calyx lobes deltate, surpassing capsule, apex acute to acuminate;
corolla blue, banner white to pale lilac, base yellow with small maroon spots, wings and keel bluish, 8–15 mm, keel sparsely glandular;
banner length (0.7–)0.8–1 times wings, lobe base without folds;
wings widely obovate, notched less than 0.1 times whole length;
throat angled to tube, longer than diam., pouch arched, slightly expanded;
stamens: abaxial filaments glabrous or sparsely hairy at base, adaxials hairy, basal spur 0.
without red blotches.
6–12, ovate, 1.5–2 mm, margins slightly thickened, inrolled.
2–4, oblong to oval, 2–3 mm, margins thickened, inrolled.
= 14.
= 14.
Collinsia heterophylla
Collinsia verna
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.)
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 |
CA
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