Parietaria hespera
Parietaria judaica
California pellitory, pelitory, rillita pellitory, unknown
spreading pellitory
simple or freely branched, sometimes densely matted, prostrate, decumbent, ascending, or erect.
ascending, erect, or decumbent.
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.
blades narrowly to broadly elliptic, lance-elliptic, or ovate, 1.3-9 × 0.8-4.5 cm, base attenuate, cuneate, or broadly rounded, apex abruptly acuminate to long-attenuate.
involucral bracts 1-4.5 mm;
tepals 2-2.8 mm, shorter or longer than bracts.
involucral bracts 1.5-2.5 mm;
tepals ca. 2-3.5 mm, longer than bracts.
light brown, symmetric, 0.9-1.2 × 0.6-0.7 mm, apex obtuse, mucro apical;
stipe centered, short-cylindric, basally dilated.
dark brown, symmetric, 1-1.2 × 0.6-0.9 mm, apex acute, mucro absent or minute;
stipe centered, on cylindric base.
Parietaria hespera
Parietaria judaica
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Parietaria judaica, which, in North America, is most abundant in scattered localities in California, is the only long-lived perennial species of Parietaria in the flora. Because of confusion in Europe over the correct name, plants in North America have been called P. judaica, P. officinalis of authors, not Linnaeus, P. officinalis var. erecta (Mertens & Koch) Weddell, and P. officinalis var. diffusa (Mertens & Koch) Weddell. For a clarification of the nomenclature and taxonomy of this complex, see C.C. Townsend (1968).
Parietaria judaica was first reported from Louisiana as P. diffusa Mertens & Koch, another name commonly used on herbarium specimens (J.W. Thieret 1969).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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 |
BC
CA
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
LA Plants
MI Flora
