Collinsia sparsiflora
few-flower blue-eyed Mary, few-flower collinsia, spinster's blue eyed Mary
erect to ascending.
blades usually linear to oblong, margins entire.
glabrous or finely hairy, eglandular;
nodes 1- or 2(or 3)-flowered;
flowers not crowded;
distalmost bracts linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2–4(+) mm.
ascending to spreading, usually longer than calyx, visible.
calyx lobes narrowly triangular to lanceolate, surpassing capsule, apex sharply acute to acuminate;
corolla lavender to purple, rarely white, 5–20 mm, keel sparsely hairy near tip;
banner length 0.8–0.9 times wings, lobe base without folds;
banner lobes and wings oblong to obovate, entire or notched;
stamens: abaxial filaments glabrous or sparsely long-hairy at base, adaxials sparsely spreading-hairy on proximal 1/2, basal spur 0.
with red blotches.
4–12, round, flattened, 2–3 mm, margins thin, not inrolled.
Collinsia sparsiflora
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Collinsia sparsiflora occurs in open habitats and woodland edges; it is easily recognized by the red blotches on fruits and the frequent occurrence of a single flower per node. In immature plants, the presence of a red band spanning the circumference of the base of the calyx lobes along with the relatively frequent occurrence of a single flower per node distinguishes C. sparsiflora.
V. M. Newsom (1929) recognized five varieties in Collinsia sparsiflora.
Two varieties are recognized here to accommodate the general pattern of locally distinct small- and large-flowered populations of Collinsia sparsiflora. Where these taxa are sympatric, the author has not found intermediates that suggest local interbreeding.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Corollas 9–20 mm, angles between corolla tube-throat and calyx 45–70°; seeds 2.5–3 mm. | var. sparsiflora |
1. Corollas 5–9 mm, angles between corolla tube-throat and calyx 30–45°; seeds 2–2.3(–2.5) mm. | var. collina |
CA
OR
WA
Flora NW
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WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
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