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narrow-leaf owl-clover, thin-leaf owl's-clover, thin-leaf owl-clover

bract owl's clover, rosy owl's-clover, rosy owl-clover

Habit Annuals 8–35 cm. Annuals 6–41 cm.
Stems

erect or ascending, pilose and puberulent.

erect, minutely scabrous and puberulent.

Leaves

10–50 mm;

blade: proximal margins entire, distal 3–7-lobed.

15–40 mm;

blade: proximal margins entire, distal 3-lobed.

Inflorescences

racemes, 2–6 cm;

bracts 10–20 mm, margins 3–5-lobed in proximal 1/2, proximal not resembling distal leaves, midlobe purple-pink distally, ovate, 4–6 mm wide, apex obtuse, cuspidate, lateral lobes narrowly triangular.

racemes or spikes, (1.5–)3–20 cm;

bracts 10–20 mm, margins entire or 3(or 5)-lobed in distal 2/3, proximal not resembling distal leaves, midlobe green or purple distally, triangular, 3–4 mm wide, apex acute, not cuspidate, lateral lobes narrowly triangular.

Pedicels

1–2 mm.

(0–)1–1.5 mm.

Flowers

calyx 8–12 mm;

corolla 14–20 mm, equal to or slightly longer than bracts, abaxial lip inflated, lobes 3, triangular, adaxial lip purple-pink, 5 mm, 1 mm longer than abaxial, puberulent, tip notably hooked, not bearded.

calyx 6–10 mm;

corolla 12–20 mm, longer than bracts, abaxial lip inflated, lobes 0, adaxial lip purple-pink to white, 4–6 mm, equal to abaxial, glabrous or puberulent, tip notably hooked, not bearded.

Capsules

6–7 mm, apex acute.

5–7 mm, apex retuse.

Seeds

15–20, dark brown, ovoid to reniform, 1–1.5 mm, shallowly reticulate, not ridged.

10–15, curved, light brown, oblong, 18–25 mm, reticulate, ridged.

2n

= 28.

= 30.

Orthocarpus tenuifolius

Orthocarpus bracteosus

Phenology Flowering May–Aug. Flowering late May–Oct.
Habitat Moist fields, grasslands, rocky slopes. Seasonally wet meadows.
Elevation (300–)600–2500 m. ((1000–)2000–8200 ft.) 10–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Orthocarpus tenuifolius is one of the plants first collected by Meriwether Lewis during the Corps of Discovery Expedition.

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

Orthocarpus bracteosus is endangered in British Columbia and Washington. It resembles O. purpureoalbus; the midlobe of the bracts is 3–4 (versus 1–2) mm wide. Also, the leaves of O. purpureoalbus tend to be dark green; those of O. bracteosus are usually lighter green or yellow-green.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 683. FNA vol. 17, p. 681.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Orthocarpus Orobanchaceae > Orthocarpus
Sibling taxa
O. barbatus, O. bracteosus, O. cuspidatus, O. imbricatus, O. luteus, O. pachystachyus, O. purpureoalbus, O. tolmiei
O. barbatus, O. cuspidatus, O. imbricatus, O. luteus, O. pachystachyus, O. purpureoalbus, O. tenuifolius, O. tolmiei
Synonyms Bartsia tenuifolia O. bracteosus var. albus
Name authority (Pursh) Bentham: Scroph. Ind., 12. (1835) Bentham: Scroph. Ind., 13. (1835)
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