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California pellitory, pelitory, rillita pellitory, unknown

Habit Herbs, annual, 0.2-5.5 dm.
Stems

simple or freely branched, sometimes densely matted, prostrate, decumbent, ascending, or erect.

Leaf

blades narrowly to very broadly ovate, oblong, orbiculate, or reniform, 0.2-4.5 × 0.2-2.7 cm, base broadly cuneate, rounded, truncate, or nearly cordate, apex acuminate, acute, obtuse, or rounded;

proximal pair of lateral veins arising at junction of blade and petiole.

Flowers

involucral bracts 1-4.5 mm;

tepals 2-2.8 mm, shorter or longer than bracts.

Achenes

light brown, symmetric, 0.9-1.2 × 0.6-0.7 mm, apex obtuse, mucro apical;

stipe centered, short-cylindric, basally dilated.

Parietaria hespera

Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; NV; UT; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Tepals erect, loosely connivent, apex acute; leaf blades conspicuously longer than wide, base broadly cuneate, rounded, or truncate.
var. hespera
1. Tepals spreading or recurved and twisted at maturity, distinct, apex long-acuminate, attenuate, or caudate; leaf blades as long as or slightly longer than wide, base rounded to nearly cordate.
var. californica
Source FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Urticaceae > Parietaria
Sibling taxa
P. floridana, P. judaica, P. pensylvanica, P. praetermissa
Subordinate taxa
P. hespera var. californica, P. hespera var. hespera
Name authority B. D. Hinton: Sida 3: 293. (1969)
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