Collinsia sparsiflora
Collinsia heterophylla
few-flower blue-eyed Mary, few-flower collinsia, spinster's blue eyed Mary
Chinese houses, innocence, purple Chinese-houses
erect to ascending.
erect to ascending.
blades usually linear to oblong, margins entire.
blades lanceolate-deltate, margins serrate.
glabrous or finely hairy, eglandular;
nodes 1- or 2(or 3)-flowered;
flowers not crowded;
distalmost bracts linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2–4(+) mm.
glabrous or hairy, ± glandular;
whorls 2–7 on main axis;
nodes 2–7-flowered;
flowers crowded;
distalmost bracts linear to lanceolate, 5–6 mm.
ascending to spreading, usually longer than calyx, visible.
ascending to spreading, shorter than calyx, not or scarcely 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.
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.
with red blotches.
4–12, round, flattened, 2–3 mm, margins thin, not inrolled.
6–12, ovate, 1.5–2 mm, margins slightly thickened, inrolled.
= 14.
Collinsia sparsiflora
Collinsia heterophylla
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.)
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 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 |
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
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
