Corispermum americanum
Corispermum hyssopifolium
American bug-seed, common bug-seed
bugseed, hyssop-leaf bugseed
blades linear or narrowly linear (occasionally linear-lanceolate or almost filiform), usually plane or occasionally folded (especially in dry plants), 1.5–3.5(–4) × 0.1–0.3 cm.
blades linear-lanceolate or linear; usually plane,1.5–3.5(–4) × 0.2–0.4(–0.5) cm.
ovate-lanceolate,lanceolate, linear-lanceolate, or occasionally proximal ones almost linear, much longer than distal, 0.5–2(–3.5) × (0.2–)0.3–0.7 cm.
ovate or ovate-lanceolate (rarely narrowly ovate-lanceolate to ± lanceolate), 0.5–1.5(–2) × 0.3–0.7 cm.
usually lax, interrupted, rarely ± condensed distally, linear, narrowly linear, or occasionally narrowly clavate.
compact, usually not strongly condensed at apex, occasionally interrupted near base, linear, oblong-linear, or indistinctly clavate-linear.
segment 1.
segments 1(–3).
yellowish brown, greenish brown, light brown, or brown, often with reddish brown spots and whitish warts, slightly convex abaxially, usually plane or slightly concave adaxially, obovate or obovate-elliptic, usually broadest beyond middle, (2.3–)2.5–4.5 × 2–3.5 mm, shiny or dull;
wing translucent, thin, (occasionally translucent only at margin, thick), (0.15–)0.2–0.3(–0.4) mm wide, margins entire or rarely indistinctly erose, apex broadly triangular, less commonly truncate or rounded.
brown, dark brown, or deep olive green, usually without spots and warts, broadly elliptic, prominently convex abaxially, usually plane or slightly concave adaxially, obovate-elliptic, or ± orbiculate, broadest near middle (rarely slightly beyond middle), 2.2–3.2 (–3.5) × 1.7–2.8 mm shiny wing (when present) translucent at margins, 0.1(–0.15) mm wide, margins entire, apex rounded.
Corispermum americanum
Corispermum hyssopifolium
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Corispermum americanum var. americanum may also occur in British Columbia, where only immature specimens have been seen. Specimens from Oregon and Wyoming are transitional toward Corispermum villosum. The names C. hyssopifolium and C. nitidum were commonly misapplied to this native species by many authors (see also note under C. nitidum).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
In addition to the key characteristics, Corispermum hyssopifolium is distinguished by having style bases short, barely exposed over the edge of wing and fruit surfaces which are glabrous and shiny.
The application of the Linnaean name Corispermum hyssopifolium is problematic. The standing lectotype (C. E. Jarvis et al. 1993; I. C. Hedge 1997) and traditional circumscription of C. hyssopifolium (as understood by M. M. Iljin 1936; P. Aellen 1961, 1964; and many others) are accepted here.
No unquestionable specimens of Corispermum hyssopifolium sensu stricto are known from North America. A collection from Colorado and some collections from Missouri approach this species most closely (S. L. Mosyakin 1995). However, their fruit morphology suggests that they are either members of the native Asian and North American group centered around C. pallasii, or resulted from hybridization between C. hyssopifolium and native representatives of subsect. Pallasiana.
The name Corispermum hyssopifolium has been misapplied to the majority of species of the genus.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Fruits (2.3-)2.5-3.5 mm, wing usually 0.2-0.3 mm wide (occasionally fruits almost wingless in some southwestern plants) | var. ameri |
1. Fruits (3-)3.5-4(-4.5) mm, wing usually 0.3-0.4(-0.5) mm wide. | var. rydbe |
- Local floras:
BC, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites:
CalFlora, CalPhotos, 
Flora NW, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
